2nd Skier Death at Windham Mtn

[dave]

A 69 year old women lost control and hit a tree at Windham Mountain on February 11, 2011. She was skiing with friends, and was from Pennsylvania. She was identified as Joan Sabatini, 69, of Yardley, Pennsylvania. She was skiing with friends on the Wedgie Trail. At 11:20 AM when she fell, slid off the trail and struck a tree. She was treated by Windham ski patrol and was transported by Windham Ambulance to Columbia Memorial Hospital in Hudson. At the hospital she was pronounced dead.

[mtnclimber]

My condolences go out to family and friends. Very sad situation and outcome. Windham is a family mountain, so these two deaths are unusual.

From what I read she was conscious at the ski center, and later died. Not sure what happen. They also said that she didn't have a helmet. Said that she had 20 years of experience, but rated her as a novice skier.

[mike]

My condolences go out to the family.

Having skied for 50 years, I find it hard to believe that she was a novice skier. If she had skied for 20 years, then she is hardly a novice. Sometimes older skiers will ski on easier slopes, but are quite capable of skiing expert or top expert slopes. I am of the belief that this was a fluke accident.

The most common person to die in tree impacts are expert skiers skiing 40 mph on an intermediate slope and catches an edge near the side of the slope. People are four times more likely to die on the way to the ski center, then when they arrive at the ski center. It is an exceedingly safe sport.

For those who believe that a helmet would have helped her, this is far from the truth. Years ago when helmets started to become popular and legislators wanted to pass laws requiring helmets, one of the best experts on skier deaths, stated very clearly that this is patently wrong. If you have ever seen a car hit a tree at 40 mph, you know that if 2500 pounds of steel and iron cannot protect you, then how can a small piece of plastic help you? It can't! Most tree impacts cause massive chest injuries that are fatal on their own. Then add massive facial injuries where the helmets don't protect, then you begin to understand that helmets are absolutely worthless on skier-tree impact deaths.

Helmets can help with head impacts with icy slopes, or with skier-to-skier impacts. But, they also give some people a sense of security, and they ski in a riskier manner.