Canadian freestyle skier Sarah Burke, 29, died Thursday morning at a Salt Lake City hospital, nine days after suffering severe injuries from a fall in nearby Park City, Utah. Burke's family released a statement providing details of the accident and expressing gratitude for the outpouring of support from friends and fans.
According to the family's statement, Burke suffered irreversible damage to her brain after her vertebral artery ruptured in the fall on the Eagle Superpipe at Park City Mountain Resort. The rupture led to a severe intracranial hemorrhage that caused Burke to go into cardiac arrest at the scene. CPR was administered on the scene and then she was transported to the University of Utah hospital. The injured artery was surgically repaired on the day after the accident, but the lack of oxygen to the brain during cardiac arrest eventually proved fatal.
Complete statement from Sarah Burke's family
Burke was considered to be a pioneer in women's freestyle skiing and contributed to the popularity of the sport. Her event, halfpipe skiing, was approved last year to debut at the next Winter Olympics in 2014.
Burke is survived by her husband, Rory Bushfield, who is also a professional skier.
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