A teenage boy has died after going into cardiac arrest Monday, July 17th, while hiking in Seward.
Alaska Wildlife Troopers responded to a report that CPR was being administered to a 15-year-old male approximately 3.7 miles up the Harding Ice Field Trail. People on site who had been traveling with the boy, along with staff from the National Park Service, attempted to resuscitate him until medical assistance arrived.
A LifeFlight helicopter transported Paramedics to the scene. Once on location, the LifeMed paramedics were able to provide assistance, however, all lifesaving efforts were unsuccessful, and the boy was pronounced dead at the scene at 3:12 p.m. as a result of cardiac arrest. The body was transported to Soldotna, and released to the State Medical Examiner’s Office. Next of kin were notified of his passing.
Alongside LifeMed paramedics and National Park Service staff, Alaska Wildlife Troopers, the Bear Creek Fire Department, and the Seward Volunteer Ambulance Corps, assisted in response to this emergency.
Current trail conditions for the Harding Ice Field Trail are updated regularly on the Kenai Fjords National Park social media sites, and posted on the National Park Service’s website at https://www.nps.gov/kefj/index.htm.