Death on a Ski Slope

Abstract

In brief A 29-year-old expert male skier who had been drinking alcohol attempted a difficult slope and fell. His Injuries included a dislocated shoulder, a rib fracture, and subclavian vein transection caused by blunt trauma. He was transported to a medical clinic at the base of the mountain and was intubated, but died before the helicopter ambulance arrived. This skiing fatality is unusual: Head and spinal cord trauma are the leading causes of skiing deaths.