The student newspaper of Bucks County Community College

The Centurion

The student newspaper of Bucks County Community College

The Centurion

The student newspaper of Bucks County Community College

The Centurion

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Bucks student seriously injured in fall from cliff

Bucks student seriously injured in fall from cliff

On Wednesday 23-year-old Bucks student Shane Connery fell off a 200-foot cliff near the Neshaminy Creek behind Tyler Hall resulting in multiple injuries.

Connery is currently in stable condition and will be moved out of ICU soon after being airlifted to Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia late Wednesday afternoon, said Roland Connery, the victim’s father. Connery suffered multiple facial fractures resulting in stitches; hyperextended veins from his heart to his shoulder; as well as sprains on both ankles including bruises down both his legs, the elder Connery said

“Someone is watching over us,” he said.

More testing is scheduled for Connery, yet his father was surprised his son didn’t suffer more injuries. Connery did not get to see his son until midnight following the accident.

The Newtown Fire Association, the Northampton Fire company and the Northampton Marine Rescue unit all participated in the rescue.

An anonymous witness said that Connery and a few others were climbing down what is now as Indian Rock when Connery tumbled down the cliff.

“There was blood everywhere,” the witness said.

It is currently unknown what exactly he was doing on the cliff. “The safest thing is for students to simply stay off the rocks,” said Dennis McCauley, head of safety and security at Bucks.

“Based on what we know at this point, no foul play is suspected.  As we do following any serious incident, we will conduct a review. I should point out that warning signs are posted there advising that the terrain is hazardous,” McCauley said.

  The area where Connery fell is currently blocked off with a moveable barrier after being previously accessible to students.  At the bottom of the cliff his blood is still visible on multiple rocks. Two caution signs adorn the trees up top.

There’s been no discussion of changing protocol on the accessibility of the area in the wake of the injury, said Marta Kaufmann, executive director of public relations.

“If you come up through Tyler State Park, go through the trees and you can access the rock.  I used to climb it all the time; hours upon hours,” said Glenn Fahnestock, a cinema/video major from Newtown.

“As adults, we should all know the cliffs are dangerous,” Fahnestock said.

This is the first major Bucks injury since a student riding a bicycle hit a professor’s car in fall of 2011. The student was traveling downhill, struck the car and wound up hitting his head of the driver’s side mirror.

“I’m certain that everyone on campus is concerned for the well-being of the student and wishing him a speedy recovery,” McCauley said.