Cabot Senior Critically Injured

Cabot House senior Ariel E.F. Shaker ’10 is in intensive care after suffering a “critical injury” yesterday, according to an e-mail sent to Cabot House residents by Cabot House Master Jay M. Harris late last night.

Shaker remained unconscious early this morning at Boston Medical Center with extensive internal bleeding in her head after she was injured yesterday, according to an e-mail sent to Harvard Polo Club members by coach Crocker Snow Jr ’61.

Snow’s e-mail contained no information about the precise nature of the injury and did not specify that it was sustained at Polo practice, but did state that Shaker had to be taken to the Medical Center by emergency helicopter, and that a team of specialists had arrived at the hospital to “determine whether and how [the] internal bleeding may be relieved.”

A Harvard representative—identified by Snow as the Harvard dean for emergency situations—was at the hospital yesterday evening with a collection of around a dozen of Shaker’s friends, roommates, and teammates, according to Snow’s e-mail.

“Those of you who were at polo practice late today have been waiting for news I promised of Ariel’s condition,” wrote Snow in his e-mail to the team. “Those who didn’t practice doubtless have heard about her accident by now.”

Harris, Snow, and fellow Polo Coach Cissie Snow could not be reached for comment last night.

A Visual and Environmental Studies concentrator and English secondary from Palo Alto, Calif., Shaker only recently joined the Polo Club, though she has long been a fan of riding horses.

Shaker also serves as the Resource Efficency Program representative for Cabot House.

Prior to joining the Polo Club, Shaker was a member of the women’s Heavyweight Crew team.

Jessica L. Flakne ’11, who rowed with Shaker on the crew team, said that Shaker is a “fun-loving person and very easy to be around.”

“She is someone I look up to in terms of being both a great rower and a great athlete,” Flakne said.

Women’s Polo Club captain Alexandra “Za” Tilt ’10 declined to comment on the accident on behalf of the team.

“Our overnight prayers must go out for Ariel, her family and for her attending doctors,” Snow wrote in his message to the team.

—Staff writer Lauren D. Kiel can be reached at lkiel@fas.harvard.edu.