SIUC freshman from Mt. Prospect improving after downstate fall

A Southern Illinois University freshman from Mount Prospect appears to be improving from injuries she suffered when she fell at least 40 feet from a bluff at a downstate state park earlier this week.

Jamie Maughan's condition has been upgraded from critical to serious, a Saint Louis University Hospital spokeswoman said Saturday.

Maughan was walking the nature trail with two other students May 2 at Giant City State Park when they decided to leave the path and climb one of the bluffs near the east end of the trail's boardwalk, according to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

Two of the students had hiked ahead and reached the top of bluff before they heard a scream and saw Maughan had fallen approximately 40 to 50 feet, the department said in a news release.

Maughan was taken by helicopter to Saint Louis University Hospital. She is a 2015 graduate of Prospect High School studying radiologic sciences at the Carbondale school.