Child's life saved by ski helmet

A young girl who collided with a tre when skiing at Afton Alps ski area in Minnesota may have died had she not been wearing a helmet, according to a doctor who treated her. The 6 year old broke her nose and leg, but a dent in her helmet appears to indicate it saved her from more serious head trauma.

"The helmet is probably the thing that saved her from truly serious injury, " said Dr Michael McGonigal who treated the girl. He hoped Julia's accident would offer an example to parents about the difference a helmet can make. "You've got to get them tuned in with the people that are doing it, and probably one of the most important things is to get them involved in wearing those things at a very young age, so it's just a natural thing."

Natasha Richardson dies after ski accident

The 45 year old British actress has died in hospital after suffering a head injury in a skiing accident in Mont Tremblant, Canada.

The actress fell and hit her head during a supervised ski lesson on a nursery slope. She was not wearing a helmet at the time. She initially appeared coherent but an hour later complained of a headache. As her condition worsened, she was flown to a hospital near her home in New York City, where her family gathered.

Neeson’s publicist announced her death. “Liam Neeson, his sons, and the entire family are shocked and devastated by the tragic death of their beloved Natasha,” he said. “They are profoundly grateful for the support, love and prayers of everyone, and ask for privacy during this very difficult time.”

Part of one of Britain's great theatrical dynasties, Richardson was the daughter of Oscar-winning actress Vanessa Redgrave, 72, and the late director Tony Richardson.
She was also the granddaughter of Sir Michael Redgrave and Rachel Kempson, the sister of actress Joely Richardson and the niece of Lynn Redgrave.

Actress in hospital after skiing accident

Actress Natasha Richardson has been left in a critical condition after a skiing accident in Canada, according to media reports.

The Canadian Press reported that the 45 year old British actress suffered a head injury yesterday whilst skiing in Mont Tremblant resort near Montreal.
She is thought to have first been brought to Centre Hospitalier Laurentien near Mont Tremblant, and then transferred to Montreal's Sacre Coeur hospital.

Richardson, 45, is the daughter of Vanessa Redgrave and is married to actor Liam Neeson with whom she has two sons. Neeson was reportedly in Toronto at the time of Richardson's accident filming the movie 'Chloe' with Julianne Moore, and has now left Toronto to be at his wife's side.

German politician found guilty over ski accident

The German politician who was charged earlier this week with manslaughter over a collision on an Austrian ski slope in January, has been found guilty.

The politician, who was involved in a fatal collision with a fellow skier at the intersection of two runs in Austria, was convicted on Tuesday of involuntary manslaughter. Dieter Althaus, who is a German state governor, could not attend Tuesday's trial because he is still recovering from head injuries sustained in the collision which took place at the Riesneralm ski area in Austria.

Prosecutors said Althaus has told them that he has no memory of the accident but takes responsibility for the 41-year-old woman's death. The court fined him 33,000 Euros and ordered him to pay another 5,000 Euros to the victim's husband. The Slovakian woman who had 4 children, died from head injuries as a result of the crash. She was not wearing a helmet, whilst the politician was, which has led to a re-opening of the debate over whether to make helmet wearing compulsory.

Following the incident, a new law requiring all children age 15 and under to wear a helmet on the slopes will be rolled out across 23 small ski resorts in lower Austria from 20 March.

Ski death provokes helmet debate

The death of a woman in a highly publicised skiing collision has shaken holidaymakers and sparked debate about safety on the piste.

There has been plenty of early snow in the Alps and the ski season is in full swing. But in Kitzbuehel, the news of a fatal skiing accident has overshadowed the usual frivolous atmosphere at this time of year. People in Germany and Austria have been shocked by the recent ski accident involving a senior German politician, Dieter Althaus, and it has triggered a debate about wearing helmets.

In the accident, which happened on New Year's Day, a Slovak woman was killed and Mr Althaus, the governor of the eastern German state of Thuringia, was seriously injured when they collided while skiing. Mr Althaus, 50, was flown by helicopter to hospital in Schwarzach and he was placed in an artificially-induced coma. According to surgeons, he suffered injuries to the skull and brain. Neurologists said it was likely that the helmet that he was wearing saved his life.

Beata Christandl, a 41-year-old mother-of-four, was not wearing a helmet. She died on the way to hospital after suffering from multiple skull injuries. The accident happened at a junction of two pistes in the Riesneralm ski resort in Austria.

According to reports in the German media Mr Althaus was skiing on a red, intermediate, slope which crosses an easier slope, on which Beata Christandl was travelling. One investigator said both skiers were travelling at around 50km/h (30 mph).

Josef Schmid, a spokesman for the Austrian skiing federation, urged all those on the slopes to err on the side of caution. "We recommend that all skiers should wear helmets, it's not just young children, adults also need protection," Mr Schmid said.

"With the new carving skis, people tend to ski faster these days and they overestimate their own abilities. The slopes are very busy and it's much safer for everyone if you wear a helmet," he said. Politicians and leading figures in sport have called for the wearing of helmets to be made compulsory for skiers and snowboarders in Germany and Austria. In Italy, it is compulsory for all children under the age of 14 to wear a helmet on the ski slopes. And the idea has support from among skiing's elite." A helmet would help to reduce the severity of injuries," said Hilde Gerg, the 33-year-old German Olympic slalom champion, who has now retired from professional skiing, in an interview with Bunte magazine.

Over at our main website www.skiwear4less.com we have a great selection of adults and childrens ski helmets for you to choose from. So be sure to purchase one for your next ski trip, to ensure you and your family stay safe.