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Teen Hiker Survived Mountain Fall; Suffered Cardiac Arrest

Officials say a teen died after falling off a mountain while on a hiking trip with friends.

White County fire department spokeswoman Ana Newberry said 18-year-old Elena Shaw was hiking at Yonah Mountain Saturday along with three or four teens, calling them "avid hikers."

"It’s something they’ve done all the time. They’ve lived in the county all their lives," Newberry told the Gainesville Times.

Newberry said Shaw lost her footing and fell over 600 feet.

"We think her foot slipped out from under her and she just lost her footing, and it’s a granite face so there’s nothing to hold onto, no branches or anything grows there," Newberry said.

She said the teen had "massive" internal injuries and experienced cardiac arrest before she died. The incident happened in White County 25 miles north of Gainesville.

Shaw recently graduated as salutatorian from Mountain Education Center High School in Dahlonega.

Services for Shaw will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Nacoochee United Methodist Church and at 2 p.m. at Alexander’s Gateway Chapel Funeral Home in Cleveland.

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