Teen injured by black bear while hiking in Washington state park

A teenage hiker was injured by a black bear in a mountainous recreation area outside Seattle on Tuesday, according to officials, who closed the trail where it happened. About 12.45pm on Tuesday, a group of three basketball players from Thomas Jefferson high school were about 2.7 miles (4.4km) up the Mount Si trail in the Mount Si Natural Resources Conservation Area when they encountered a bear and her cubs. The conservation area is composed of four mountain peaks, and about 35 miles south-east of Seattle. The mother bear charged the group and swiped one of the teenagers, who was scratched during the incident. Another teenage boy injured their ankle while running away. “His injuries were very minor, but he was of course terrified. The bear tossed him around a little bit, but nothing serious. He’s on his way to the hospital right now to be checked out, get the wounds clean, and maybe get some antibiotics,” said Peter Linde, the King county sheriff’s office deputy, in a statement to NBC affiliate KING of Seattle . The injured teenage boy was released from the hospital at 9pm local time on Tuesday. …