Sarah Burke hospitalized after Park City halfpipe accident
Sarah Burke, a pioneering Canadian freestyle skier, was seriously injured after crashing in Park City Mountain Resort’s Eagle Superpipe during a training run. According to the Salt Lake Tribune, ski patrol stabilized her at the scene before transporting her to Base Patrol, where she was airlifted to the University of Utah hospital in Salt Lake City.
Sarah Burke
The exact injuries Burke sustained is not yet known, but have been described as “very serious.” Other reports say that she is in a coma.
Burke is known as a leader is getting women’s ski superpipe into the Winter X Games, as well as getting the superpipe into the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. She also won the gold medal in the women’s halfpipe at the 2005 FIS Freestyle World Ski Championships in Ruka, Finland, and also won ESPN’s Best Female Action Sports Athlete in the 2007 ESPYs.
Sarah Burke competing in the halfpipe.
The superpipe at Park City Mountain Resort is the same place where snowboarder Kevin Pearce was critically injured during training on Dec. 31, 2009. Pearce suffered traumatic brain injuries but recovered.
