A Franciscan University of Steubenville underclassman has been released from a Pittsburgh hospital after being treated for injuries she suffered in a fall Saturday night.

According to university spokesman Tom Sofio, the student was hiking in an area above a nearly vertical drop from the hilltop campus to Route 7.

"It was not a good situation," said Sofio.

The student had been walking on the other side of a safety fence around 8 p.m. Saturday when she slipped and fell. After falling, she slid dangerously close to a sheer drop down to the highway.

After falling, the student used her cellphone to send a text message to her roommate. The roommate called campus security, which dispatched two officers to find her.

"Two of them zig-zagged down the hill," Sofio said. "It was dark and it was cold. They found her and they were able to direct the rescue operation."

Steubenville firefighters, campus security officers and student volunteers using a rope helped pull her back to the hilltop once she had been secured to a back board to protect her from further injuries.

A similar rescue had to be executed in 2003 when a student hiking on the other side of the fence fell along a similar path. She suffered similar injuries to her vertebrae, facial bones and teeth, but she also survived.

The area is clearly marked with warning signs and Sofio said students are warned in the student handbook to avoid the area.

"It's a beautiful area. You see the Veterans' Bridge and you see the Ohio River and you see Weirton," said Sofio. "But like all experiences you have in a national park or anywhere scenic, you have to use caution."

It's unclear when the student will return to campus.

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