For Immediate Release

Saturday, May 9, 2015

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003

Westwood Teen Injured after Fall in Woods

WESTWOOD — The men and women of the Westwood Police Department, including Chief Jeffrey P. Silva, are saddened to report that a teenage girl was seriously injured in a wooded area of town late last night.

Police received a call at approximately 10:45 Friday a report of loud noises coming from the woods near a condominium complex on High Street. Officers walked a few hundred feet into the woods and observed a bonfire and a large group of teenagers, many of whom were drinking from clearly marked beer cans.

When the officers approached, they identified themselves and immediately told the youths not to run away but that it was time to end the party. Some of the youths did remain as instructed, but others ran away, despite the warnings of the officers.

When searching the area and putting out the bonfire, police and fire personnel discovered a 16-year-old girl who apparently fell down a 20-foot rocky ledge, injuring her head.  The girl fell down the cliff and became wedged between two boulders. Because of the steepness of the terrain, it took 10 Westwood police officers and firefighters a total of 20 minutes to treat, stabilize and  carefully carry her on a rescue sled out of the woods.

The girl was NOT drinking, and it is unknown if she fell running away when the police arrived or if she had walked away earlier and did not see the ledge in the darkness and fell by accident.

The girl was taken to a Boston hospital with serious head injuries. Her name is not being released.

A second teen was evaluated by paramedics for minor injuries after an aerosol can exploded that was apparently thrown into the bonfire by one of the youths prior to the arrival of the police. Several other teens were evaluated by EMS to ensure that they were not suffering from alcohol poisoning.

The remaining teenagers who either stayed behind or were rounded up were released into the custody of their parents. Westwood Firefighters with the help of the police used a thermal cameras to search the woods, but no one else was found.

The Police Department has a strong presence in the school system and speaks to Westwood High School students as part of the health curriculum to discuss the importance of safety and responsible decision making, as well as the dangers of drinking underage and driving under the influence.

Chief Jeffrey Silva said: “When anyone from our town is hurt, we all hurt and our thoughts and prayers are with this young lady and her family hoping she makes a fast and full recovery.”

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