UPDATE-Eastmont Students Injured in Separate Accidents

UPDATE 5pm

The Chelan County Sheriff's Office released details of the two accidents this morning involving young people believed to be Eastmont High School students.

Chief Jason Reinfeld said the accident was reported about 6AM on the Malaga-Alcoa Highway at approximately MP 8.  A full-size pickup was travelling northbound towards Wenatchee carrying six 18–20 year old passengers.  Four of the occupants were in the cab of the pickup and two were in the bed. The vehicle left the roadway, drove down an embankment, and struck two orchard trees. The occupants in the bed of the pickup were thrown from the vehicle and sustained injuries.    An 18 year old East Wenatchee male was transported to Central Washington Hospital in Wenatchee (CWH) with serious injuries. His current medical status is unknown.   A 19 year old East Wenatchee female was transported by ambulance to the CWH emergency room with a possible arm injury.   The other occupants were not transported and sustained minor injuries.

A Deputy said the driver showed no signs of drug or alcohol impairment.  Reinfeld said fatigue may have been a factor, "there was a slight corner where the accident occured and typically if a driver was going too fast to negotiate the turn you would have scuff marks prior to going off the road way"  Reinfeld said there were no marks where the truck left the roadway.

It is believed this group was returning to the valley from a senior camp out in the Colockum area.

About 20 minutes later another accident was reported on Colockum Road near MP 18.  This area is in Kittitas County however access is much quicker from Chelan County so emergency services responded from Chelan County.   An 18 year old Wenatchee male had suffered  a serious head injury in a motorcycle crash.  Due to the serious injury and remote location, the injured man was airlifted to Central Washington Hospital. As of Thursday afternoon, he was in intensive care at CWH.

It is unknown if the motorcycle rider was with a group that camped out overnight in the area or if he arrived sometime in the morning.

ORIGINAL POST

Three Eastmont High School students were seriously injured in separate accidents early Thursday morning.  Eastmont Supt. Garn Christensen said one of the injured students was in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) after a motorcycle accident in the Colockum, where a student organized camping trip was held Wednesday evening.  Another student was also in the ICU at Confluence Health with serious injuries after he and another student were ejected from the bed of a pickup truck that hit a tree on the Malaga Alcoa Highway.  Christensen said the pair were riding in the back of the truck with four other students riding in the cab.  Christensen said the four students in the cab were also injured but he did not believe they required hospitalization. Both accidents were reported to the Chelan County Sheriff's Office at about 6AM

Christensen said grief counselors were on hand for students and staff at Eastmont High School Thursday and Seniors held a moment of silence during a graduation rehearsal at Town Toyota Center this morning.  There will be a recognition of the injured students in the Friday evening ceremony.

He noted that with the tragic suicide on Wednesday by a Wenatchee High School student and Thursday morning's accidents, parents should be looking for signs of emotional stress or grief.  Christensen suggested parents should take advantage of counseling offered at both campuses if needed.

Christensen said "Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and the young people that were affected by this"