The Columbian | Serving Clark County, Washington

Candace “Candy” Morrison, a vocal music teacher at Hudson’s Bay High School, was found dead Wednesday evening after she was thrown from a horse at 26500 N.E. Rawson Road, southeast of Hockinson, police said.

About 6:50 p.m., 911 dispatchers said the horse had returned to its stable and someone found the rider about a mile up a road from a gate.

Dispatchers put a Life Flight helicopter on standby as rescuers hiked up the road carrying gear to provide advanced life support if needed. Minutes later, officials said she was deceased and radioed for a chaplain to comfort those at the scene.

Sgt. Kevin Allais with the Clark County Sheriff’s Office said Morrison, a Battle Ground resident, is believed to have boarded a horse in the Hockinson area.

Morrison, 57, was using a new saddle and wasn’t wearing a helmet, which is recommended, Allais said.

Morrison was loved by her students and admired by faculty members, a Hudson’s Bay High official said.

Counselors from across the Vancouver School District are on-site today to talk with students, said Kris Sork, the district's spokeswoman. Teachers read a prepared statement to students when they arrived to class in the morning.

A phone tree was used to spread word to teachers late Wednesday, Sork said. Morrison has taught at the school since 2006.

"There’s a room set aside for students that need to come and talk and grieve," Sork said. "She was a very well loved teacher."

Morrison led students in the final song during a recent concert that Sork said some staff members described as "fabulous."

"There were students who very distraught," Sork said after visiting the school this morning.

This is the second accidental death of a Hudson’s Bay teacher in six months. Gordon Patterson died Sept. 15 in a bicycle accident.

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