Ski Racer’s Life Spared by use of Helmet
Up and Coming ski racer Richard Long, 15, survived traveling 40 to 50 mph. and slamming into a tree head first at Arapahoe Basin. His survival is attributed to the helmet he was wearing. Long was slalom training at A-Basin when he lost control prior to the ski accident. His doctor, Dr. Stewart Levy, chief of neurosurgery at St. Anthony’s Central, held the dented liner of the helmet in an interview and showed where the helmet shell had shattered at the point of impact behind the left ear. Long is suffering from aphasia, the ability to find and voice words and express thoughts due to bruising of his left temporal lobe, considered a traumatic brain injury. Long’s other injuries included a broken collar bone, shoulder blade and a ruptured spleen. Long was a member of the Ontario Alpine Ski Team which trains skiers for Canada’s national ski team. His father, a ski coach, said his son was perhaps one of the two best skiers in North America in his age group. Dr. Levy said that 10 years of data on ski-related trauma shows that helmets reduce the risk of fatality by 80 percent and reduce the risk of brain injury by 65 to 75 percent. Long’s parents hope that Richard will regain his ability to walk, recover full speech skills and even return to skiing.
