Tragedy on the Slopes

Tragic story on the wires this morning.

Casper, Wyo. (AP) -- A Wyoming coroner says a 5-year-old skier who died in a collision with a snowboarder was wearing a helmet, contrary to officials' earlier reports.

Natrona County Coroner Connie Jacobson says the girl, Elise Johnson, and 22-year-old Craig Shirley died of internal injuries from blunt force trauma.

Witnesses have said Shirley was snowboarding at high speed Friday at Hogadon (HO'-guh-dun) Ski Area when he collided with Elise and her mother. The mother and daughter had stopped in the middle of the run, which is rated as difficult.

The mother was hospitalized. Her name hasn't been released.

The circumstances of the crash are still under investigation.

Shirley's father told the Casper Star-Tribune that the run was covered in ice.

Not even sure what to say about something like this. Over Thanksgiving, I had the great pleasure of skiing with my 80-year-old father and my 10-year-old son. In the afternoon, a snowboarder plowed into my father and knocked him down. The guy stopped for a moment and then continued on down the mountain without looking back. Luckily, no one was hurt.

This kind of thing has to stop. Would love to hear our readers' suggestions and ideas on how to fix a growing problem on the slopes.

Posted By: Al Saracevic (Email) | December 27 2010 at 10:19 AM