A teenager has died and another has been left paralysed in separate sledging accidents on the same hill, it has been reported.
Natalie Wilson, 17, was hospitalized and has been left party paralysed after she crashed, suffering a break in her spine as well as severe damage to her spinal cord and broken ribs.
Just one day earlier another girl, 14-year-old Eirelyn Zuercher also had a sledging accident and suffered a detrimental brain injury.
Writing on Facebook her grief-stricken mum Katie said her daughter was put on life support just long enough to find organ donor recipients.
She said: “Waiting for the inevitable end is emotional and exhausting, but my hope is that a few terrible days for my family will mean a brighter future for other families who will benefit from her healthy organs.
“I am so grateful for the outpouring of love and support we have received.”
After her daughter’s death she said that five people had gone on to receive an organ donation from Eirelyn.
She said: “I can not tell you how much your support has meant to me these past few days.
“Thank you for sitting with me in this grief and holding space for my family. Your presence, even from afar, helps me feel less alone through all of this. Thank you.”
Tragically, the girl’s dad also died after suffering a heart attack the day that Eirelyn was put in hospital, and he never recovered.
Meanwhile, the father of 17-year-old Natalie, Jim Wilson, has gone on to call for safety barriers at the Ohio, US, hill where the two incidents took place.
He told 19News : “I believe both accidents Saturday and Sunday probably would’ve been avoided if there was something there to keep the sleds from going toward the trees because trees are where the danger occurs.
“We really thought we were going to lose her on that day… at least she’s here.”
Park officials at the Hinckley Reservation in Medina County, Ohio, where the incidents took place, reportedly said: “Our thoughts are with the families impacted by the sledding incidents that occurred over the weekend.
“We are looking into the incidents and the circumstances around these tragic events.”
A fundraiser has also been launched on GoFundMe to help support Natalie’s family which can be visited here.