A friend down... something's got to change

A friend went under the knife today at 2:00 pm to try and repair bones that were shattered into many pieces. Due to the extent of the injuries her surgeon predicts her recovery will take between three and four months. 

None of this had to happen. 

A good friend to many at the Mt. Rose Ski Area and retired groomer extraordinaire CiCi Mitchell was taken out last Sunday by a boarder just downhill from the Aida's break-over. According to an on scene witness skiing behind her, CiCi was skiing her typical 25 to 35 mph when the boarder lofted off the top of the break-over between 40 and 50 mph hitting CiCi (who was down the hill a considerable distance) on her head and shoulder hitting her hard enough to knock her helmet off and send her rag-dolling down the hill unconscious. 

Patrol was quick to arrive and reportedly did an excellent job assessing her injuries and rendering first aid and transport. This boarder could have easily killed or disabled her for life had he hit her a little differently. If it had been a child who was hit the damage could easily have been fatal. 

This senseless disrespect for other's safety needs to stop. 

John Hopkins University reports that there are about 600,000 ski resort injuries across the US in any given season. Many of the more serious injuries result from collisions between skiers and riders. With one of our own recovering from surgery and this sad statistic perhaps we should be asking ourselves if there is anything more we can do?

With CiCi in mind I think someone needs to at least start that conversation. 

Sven


This photo is merely a collision shot. Not a photo of the accident!



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Season Winds Down with a Bang & a Whimper...

The Rose Legion of Honor (Part 1)

Rose Legion of Honor Part III