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AAP Grand Rounds 12:32-33 (2004)
© 2004 American Academy of Pediatrics

Child Deaths Due to Downhill Skiing

The first 20% of the full text of this article appears below.

This retrospective review was conducted using a Colorado death certificate-based fatal injury surveillance system. The authors, from Ohio State University at Columbus and Colorado State University at Fort Collins, examined characteristics associated with downhill skiing deaths among children and adults from 1980 to 2001. Cases were restricted to deaths that occurred while skiing at a commercial Colorado ski resort and excluded cross-country skiing. During the 21 years studied, 149 skier deaths occurred (128 adult, 21 children). Children were defined as those ages 17 years or younger.

The majority of child skiers died as the result of traumatic brain injury (TBI) (66.7%). This was significantly higher than the percentage of adult skier deaths caused by TBI (42%). The database did not allow evaluation of helmet use. Multiple internal trauma was the second leading cause of death among children (28.6%). Most child and adult deaths (76% and 68.7% respectively) were caused by collisions. Children were most likely to collide with trees (52% of deaths), other skiers (10% of deaths), or a ski lift post (10% of deaths). Close to half of child fatalities . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Gwen C. McIntosh, MD, MPH, FAAP¹ and Murray L. Katcher, MD, PhD, FAAP²

1 Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin Medical School, Madison, WI 2 Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin Medical School and Wisconsin Division of Public Health, Madison, WI

 

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