First snowboard death of the season for Michigan on opening weekend
 

From the media release put out by Boyne Highlands:

At just after 4 p.m. on Sunday, December 2, a 17-year-old girl from Alanson was involved in an accident while snowboarding at Boyne Highlands Resort.

The accident occurred on Camelot, a beginner rated slope. A witness with the snowboarder said that she fell within the slope boundaries and did not collide with any type of obstacle. Snow and weather conditions at the time of the accident were described as wet snow, with temperatures in the mid-40s.

The snowboarder was treated at the scene by Boyne Highlands’ Ski Patrol. She was then transferred by ambulance to McLaren – Northern Michigan Hospital in Petoskey, where she later died.

“We are deeply saddened by this accident,” said Brad Keen, president and general manager of Boyne Highlands Resort. “Our heartfelt condolences go out to her family and friends.”

It is not known if the snowboarder was wearing a helmet at the time of the incident.

Due to concerns about patient and family confidentiality, Boyne Highlands does not identify persons who are injured nor share information about injuries sustained at the ski area.

Source

I was there the day prior. Great conditions. It rained overnight though and it was in the mid-40's so I declined riding the slush on Sunday.

I'm not sure what the heck happened. This is a super mellow run, not very long and no trees. She could have hit a fence or maybe she just caught a nasty edge and slammed her head.

R.I.P.

Ride In Peace

That's awful!

RIP

Had to be some sort of whiplash effect that severed an artery or caused some sort of hemorrhage. Much like what happened to Liam Neeson's wife. Which just sucks, that sort of thing should never happen to a beginner. Horrible.

My condolences to her friends and family.

Yeah, bad enough whiplash can sever that vertebral artery. You pretty much don't know it happens until it is too late... AND a helmet will not help you. You would need some sort of back-of-neck brace like football players wear.

Wow that is so sad. Sorry to hear that. I found some info if anyone is interested. http://www.nsaa.org/nsaa/press/1112/...ty-10-1-12.pdf Be safe all!

I like this quote "Dr. Shealy’s research also confirmed that alpine skiers are three times more likely to be involved in a collision with other people than snowboarders."

This too: "Snowboarders don’t appear to be making the slopes less safe for their skiing peers, either, says Dr. Shealy. A study presented at the Ninth International Symposium on Skiing Trauma and Safety in 1993 indicated that 7.7 percent of all ski injuries are the result of skiers running into skiers, while only 2.6 percent of snowboard accidents are caused this way." I'm sure there are more snowboarders now, but still...

Awfull, tragic story. That particular run is really mellow, but u can still pick up some real speed on it. Honestly, I was shocked by this. I was a medic In the Navy for 4 years & I never heard of severing an artery via whiplash!

As for a helmet "not" helping,.. I would suspect that in a situation like that, it could possibly contribute to some degree. The extra weight on your head!

Either way, terrible thing to happen to someone so young!
My sincere & heartfelt sympathies to her family & friends!

The lifty working that run commented on Boyne's official release.

Apparently it was her very first day trying to learn to snowboard. :(

Awwww Man,... :( :( :( :( :(..