Sarah Burke Dead at 29 After Half-Pipe Skiing Accident - East Idaho News
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Sarah Burke Dead at 29 After Half-Pipe Skiing Accident

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GETTY N 011212 SarahBurke?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1327011500443JEAN-PIERRE CLATOT/AFP/Getty Images(SALT LAKE CITY) — Canadian freestyle skier Sarah Burke died Thursday, nine days after sustaining injuries in an accident on a half-pipe course in Utah.

The 29-year-old Winter X Games champion and 2005 half-pipe world gold medalist suffered “severe irreversible damage to her brain due to lack of oxygen and blood after cardiac arrest,” according to a statement from Burke’s publicist.

“As the result of Sarah’s fall, she suffered a ruptured vertebral artery, one of the four major arteries supplying blood to the brain. The rupture of this artery led to a severe intracranial hemorrhage, which caused Sarah to go into cardiac arrest on the scene,” according to the statement. “While early reports in the media stated that Sarah’s injury was a traumatic brain injury, it is important to note that Sarah’s condition was the result of a lack of oxygen to the brain during cardiac arrest.”

Although she underwent a successful operation to repair the torn artery, tests showed she suffered irreversible brain damage.

Burke’s organs and tissues were donated, in accordance with her wishes.

Burke, who was not only one of the best female skiers in the world but a red carpet regular and fashion plate who was once named one of FHM‘s 100 sexiest women alive, crashed after a faulty landing while on a private training run in the Eagle Superpipe at Park City Mountain Resort Jan. 10.

She was a favorite heading into the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia, having lobbied to have women’s skiing superpipe added to the lineup.

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