Sarah Burke, a pioneer in woman’s freeskiing, died Thursday in a hospital in Salt Lake City, nine days after a fall during a training session in the super-pipe at Park City, Utah where she sustained a critical head injury.
She was 29.
“Sarah was larger than life and lived life to the fullest, a phenomenal representative of her sport,” said Peter Judge, CEO of the Canadian Freestyle Ski Association. “In many ways, she was the face, the name and the brand people identified with, having been involved right from the very beginning.
“She was at the forefront of the sport all the way through.”
Burke was attempting a relatively common maneuver. A flat spin 540 when she fell, hit her head. She went into cardiac arrest on the hill and died in hospital 9 days later .
In wake of the massive US hospital bill Burkes family may now be facing the deceased’s family has established a fundraising initiative. Donations can be made at:
What a terrible loss for her family and the sport – so sorry to hear of this tragedy. I am at a loss, however to understand why anyone of any age would train in the U. S. with no insurance coverage! Is this another oversight on the part of Sports Canada and the Canadian government? If so, they should step up here and make sure the families are protected along with our young athletes.