Canadian freestyle skier Sarah Burke died Thursday nine days after crashing at the bottom of a superpipe while training in Utah.
She was only 29 years old.
According to Burke’s publicist, test revealed “irreversible damage to her brain due to lack of oxygen and blood after cardiac arrest,”
The Associated Press states that the four-time Winter X-Games Champion Burke crashed on the same halfpipe where snowboarder Kevin Pearce suffered a traumatic brain injury during a training accident on December 31, 2009.
Because of the fall, Burke tore her vertebral artery, which led to severe bleeding on the brain, causing her to go into cardiac arrest on the scene before CPR was administered.
Our thoughts go out to Sarah Burke’s family, friends and fans during this tragic time.
Ref: USA Today, AP, Getty (image)