Prognosis bleak for teen in 'Hell Hole' fall

Hope is dimming for a Putnam Valley High School student's recovery after a 30-foot fall at a swimming hole. Kelly Cortesi, 16, fell from a rocky cliff at Bear Mountain State Park Sunday. She fell down

News 12 Staff

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May 28, 2014, 6:56 PM

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Updated 4,053 days ago

Hope is dimming for a Putnam Valley High School student's recovery after a 30-foot fall at a swimming hole.

Kelly Cortesi, 16, fell from a rocky cliff at Bear Mountain State Park Sunday. She fell down an area known locally as "Hell Hole" and hit her head on the rocks.

Cortesi remains in critical condition with head injuries at Westchester Medical Center.

The well-liked girl had just finished her sophomore year and is a member of the track and field hockey teams. Cortesi also works as a counselor at a YMCA day camp.

"She's great. She's a terrific counselor," says camp director Thad Gifford-Smith. "Everybody loves her. She's really bright and bubbly and a great kid."

Grief counselors have been meeting with Cortesi's friends.

The area where the victim was swimming with her mother and a friend is off limits, but remains a popular swimming spot despite regular patrols.