Boy hospitalized after 25-foot fall into quarry

NORTH CASTLE – A 10-year-old Queens boy hiking with his family in the Cranberry Lake Preserve suffered neck, back and arm injuries after falling about 25 to 30 feet into a quarry, authorities said.

The child was near Old Orchard Street in the 190-acre county park when he slipped on loose stones around 2:15 p.m. and fell, Westchester County police Sgt. James Dress told The Journal News.

The boy ended up near a small pond and was initially unconscious, North White Plains Fire Chief Andrew Seicol said.

It took emergency responders about half an hour to extricate the child, police said. The boy regained consciousness during the rescue and was immobilized at the scene before being taken to Westchester Medical Center, where he was listed in stable condition.

"He was pretty banged up," Dress said.

During the rescue, responders had to contend with rugged terrain, rocks, small trees and brush in an area of the park referred to as the quarry section. "The key here is we don't become one of the victims as well," Seicol said.

Westchester County police dispatched emergency services and aviation units to the scene. The North White Plains Volunteer Fire Department, Valhalla ambulance, Mount Pleasant paramedics and White Plains Fire Department also responded.

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