Thread: Kevin Pearce in critical condition

Snowboarder in critical condition after accident







SALT LAKE CITY – American snowboarder Kevin Pearce was in critical condition at a Utah hospital Friday after suffering a head injury while training in Park City, his publicist said.



Pearce's condition at University of Utah hospital in Salt Lake City hasn't changed since undergoing surgery Thursday, Danielle Burch said.



Pearce, a top-ranked halfpipe rider with a good chance of making the U.S. Olympic team, was knocked unconscious when he hit his head during a training run on Thursday.



Hospital officials on Friday weren't releasing information on Pearce's condition and were forwarding inquiries to his publicist. Family and friends set up a Facebook page for well-wishers and to offer updates on Pearce's condition.



The 22-year-old from Norwich, Vt., was preparing for next week's Olympic qualifying events in Mammoth Mountain, Calif. He is considered, along with Shaun White, to be one of America's top athletes in a sport dominated by the United States.



Olympic halfpipes are essentially hollowed out ice shells, the sides of which rise up to 22 feet in the air. Riders gain speed as they go from one side to another and fly several feet over the edges, where they flip and spin, often rotating 720 or 1080 degrees on a single jump.



Three weeks ago, Pearce fell during a preliminary run at an Olympic qualifying event in Copper Mountain, Colo., and sustained a concussion.



http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100101/..._injured/print



I hope the kid is ok. I enjoy watching him.

[quote name='Mare Tranquillity' date='01 January 2010 - 08:22 PM' timestamp='1262395347' post='90161']

Yeah, it's amazing what they can do--makes me feel like an underachiever. Happy New Year, Gypsy.

Mare

[/quote]



Happy New Year, Mare!

[quote name='Bourne' date='01 January 2010 - 10:45 PM' timestamp='1262403955' post='90275']

Don't they wear a helmet?

[/quote]

He was.





Snowboarder suffered ‘traumatic brain injury’

U.S. halfpipe star Pearce rider was injured in Olympic training accident



SALT LAKE CITY - American snowboarder Kevin Pearce was in critical Saturday at a Utah hospital after suffering a “severe, traumatic brain injury” in a training accident, one of his doctors said.



Pearce is in the University of Utah Hospital’s intensive care unit in Salt Lake City. Dr. Holly Ledyard said Pearce is stable condition and has not yet needed to undergo surgery.



“Kevin sustained a severe, traumatic brain injury ... (and) is being kept sedated,” Ledyard said in a statement released by the snowboarder’s publicist. “The focus over the next week will be watching for any swelling in his brain and keeping his brain pressure normal.”



Pearce was preparing for next week’s Olympic qualifying events at Mammoth Mountain, Calif., when he hit his head during a training run Thursday in Park City.



“Kevin has a long recovery ahead of him,” Ledyard said.



According to an update Saturday afternoon on a Facebook page set up by his family, Pearce was “doing well, he continues to maintain his stable condition. Being young, healthy and strong is working in his favor.”



“Family and friends remain positive and are thankful for the outpouring of support,” said Pearce’s spokeswoman Danielle Burch.



The 22-year-old from Norwich, Vt., is a top-ranked halfpipe rider. Along with Shaun White, he is considered to be one of America’s top athletes in a sport dominated by the United States.



Olympic halfpipes are essentially hollowed out ice shells, the sides of which rise up to 22 feet in the air. Riders gain speed as they go from one side to another and fly several feet over the edges, where they flip and spin, often rotating 720 or 1080 degrees on a single jump.



Pearce was in the process of completing a twisting double back flip when he caught his toe-side edge while landing, Burch said. He was wearing a helmet.



Three weeks ago, Pearce fell during a preliminary run at an Olympic qualifying event in Copper Mountain, Colo., and suffered a concussion.





http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/346690...lympic_sports/