|
||
|
||
Student listed in critical condition after accident
A Fresno State equestrian rider was listed in critical condition as of Thursday evening at University Medical Center after suffering injuries in a riding accident Wednesday night. Freshman Shana Eriksson was riding with two other equestrian team members when the horse Eriksson was riding fell on a road between the swine unit and the dairy near the intersection of Woodrow and Barstow avenues. Another rider was slightly injured when she jumped from her horse. The equestrian team practices in the rodeo arena, which is located just north of the Save Mart Center on Woodrow Ave. The equestrian team held a meeting at 2 p.m. Thursday, at which a counsellor from the University Health Center helped students deal with the emotional stress. Representatives from the equestrian team refused to comment on the accident afterwards. Ag professor Scott Williamson said he made the initial call to campus police, who were at the scene shortly after 5 p.m. Williamson said he was working in the swine unit when he saw two saddled horses trotting away without riders. When he checked near the dairy, he found Eriksson unconscious on the ground, and another rider was leaning over her. Eriksson was bleeding heavily from the nose and ear and wasn’t moving when Williamson found her, and he said one of the other two riders with Eriksson said the horse fell on top of her. That’s when Williamson said he called the campus police and requested an ambulance. The university only described Eriksson’s injuries as severe. Eriksson’s mother Karan was reached at UMC Thursday, but refused to comment to The Collegian regarding Eriksson’s injuries. Eriksson apparently fell from the horse after it reared up on its hind legs and fell backward. The most probable cause came from the dairy. Williamson said when the three riders passed the dairy pens, the cows rushed to the edge of the pens and startled Eriksson’s horse. Williamson said in case of an emergency on-campus, he was instructed to call campus police. A campus police officer arrived at the scene in response to Williamson’s call, assessed the situation and then hailed for an ambulance—which Williamson said arrived 15 minutes after the officer arrived. The equestrian team had been without a head coach since Aug. 4, when seven-year coach Megan McGee said she resigned due to dissatisfaction of the relations between the agriculture department and the athletic department. Fresno State hired Chuck Smallwood to replace McGee Wednesday, Fresno State Assistant Athletic Director Steve Weakland said. |
