Angelina Stelmach '02 suffered a serious head injury in a fall while shooting a film near Rumney, New Hampshire this past Sunday evening.
Because of poor weather conditions during the day, helicopter rescuers were unable to reach Rattlesnake Mountain, where the accident occurred, and Stelmach was initially brought to a Plymouth hospital, where X-rays were conducted. She is currently listed in stable condition at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, where she was transferred later Sunday evening.
According to sources close to Stelmach, who spoke to The Dartmouth on the condition of anonymity, she was unconscious for parts of the day yesterday, and had apparently sustained some bleeding in the brain.
"Her current condition is stable, and the doctors are optimistic about her full recovery, though it may take a while," said an anonymous friend of Stelmach.
The accident occurred Sunday evening around 5 p.m., when Stelmach, who was involved in the shooting of climbing scenes for a film, lost her footing and slipped off a rain-slicked path. She slid approximately 15 feet to the edge of a small cliff, then fell between 25 and 40 feet to the ground below.
Despite the distance of the fall, Stelmach remarkably sustained no broken bones or any other serious injuries beyond the head trauma, according to friends of Stelmach, who were with her when the accident occurred.
Stelmach, who is from Greenwich, CT, is currently in and out of consciousness, according to friends, but is showing signs of improvement.
"There should be no permanent damage ... she's showing all the good signs, and she's been somewhat responsive today," one of her friends commented.
A friend described Stelmach as "a very creative soul, who has been involved in a variety of theater productions."
"She's been known as a campus activist and has provided leadership for campus organizations ... we appreciate what she's done for this community and certainly hope she recovers quickly," he said.
Stelmach, a French major who is also on the rugby team is currently involved in an independent study on French surrealism.
"She's brilliant, one of my favorite people at Dartmouth," a friend said. "We all hope she recovers soon."