SL youth dead after sledding accident; school to be open for counseling Saturday afternoon
Fri, Jan 1, 2010 
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BY BECKY VARGO
bvargo@grandhaventribune.com
A Spring Lake boy is dead following a sledding accident Thursday afternoon in Grand Haven's Duncan's Woods.
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Chance Nash, 11, a fifth grade student at Spring Lake Intermediate School, died shortly after 9 p.m. Thursday at a Grand Rapids hospital, said Sgt. Glenn Bo, Grand Haven Department of Public Safety.
The boy, son of David and Diane Nash of Nunica, was sledding with family and friends sometime after 2 p.m. at the park located off Sheldon and Woodlawn near North Ottawa Community Hospital, said Bo.
According to his father, he hit a log or a post, Bo said. The child was taken by his family to the nearby hospital, then was transferred about 5 p.m. to a Grand Rapids hospital, where he was later pronounced dead from internal injuries.
"Our heart goes out to the family," said Spring Lake Public Schools Superintendent Dennis Furton.
The school will have a crisis/counseling team on hand for anyone impacted by the youth's death, from noon-3 p.m. Saturday at the Intermediate School Media Center, 345 Hammond St. in Spring Lake.
Furton said he expects the impact to be far reaching considering the loss of another Spring Lake student early in the fall.
"Because the loss of Robby Jerovsek is still so fresh, we expect kids to be impacted at every level at every school," Furton said.
Jerovsek, a sophomore at Spring Lake High School, was killed in a boating accident over the Labor Day Weekend.
Furton said school staff will reach out to any students impacted by this accident "and help them with this unexpected tragic loss."
The sledding accident is still under investigation.
