THIS STORY WILL BE UPDATED AS MORE INFORMATION BECOMES AVAILABLE
First-year Creel Smith was airlifted to UNC Hospitals in the early hours of Monday morning after falling an unknown height from a lofty magnolia tree between Alamance and Long buildings. Though he sustained undisclosed injuries, Smith’s condition was categorized as “good” by a hospital spokesman Monday morning.
According to UNC Hospitals Patient Condition Definitions, good indicates that “Vital signs are stable and within normal limits. Patient is conscious and comfortable. Indicators are excellent.”
After Town of Elon medical personnel arrived past midnight Monday, Smith was whisked on a stretcher to the Intramural Fields, where a helicopter was waiting.
Sophomore Garcian D’Cruz, a resident of Elon Catholic Campus Ministry Newman Center at Holland House — student housing adjacent to the fields — was drawn toward the scene when he saw flashing lights and heard sirens from his bedroom.
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“We were unsure of the significance of the sirens,” D’Cruz said. “It was scary because we didn’t know if it was for a medical or security purpose.”
At the scene, D’Cruz watched as Smith was transferred via stretcher from an ambulance to the helicopter.
“It looked horrifying,” he said. “When you see someone you go to school with like that, it makes you think about how fortunate you are.”
The circumstances leading up to Smith’s fall remained unclear midday Monday. Eric Townsend, director of the Elon University News Bureau, declined to comment, other than to confirm the fall and Smith’s hospitalization.
An Elon University Police report of the incident is pending, and details will be added once the report becomes available.
UPDATE 3:30 P.M.
Smith was released from the hospital Monday, according to UNC Hospitals Media Relations and Social Media Strategist Tom Hughes.