Kevin Pearce, a snowboarder from Norwich, Vermont, remains in critical condition with a severe traumatic brain injury in the University of Utah hospital after a snowboarding accident. Pearce was training on a halfpipe in Utah for an Olympics qualifier being held soon in Mammoth Lakes, CA. The 22-year-old Pearce sustained his injury when he hit his head just above one of his eyes on the hard, icy wall of the halfpipe.
An LA Times article described the maneuver Pearce was attempting just before his accident, ‘Pearce was completing a cab double cork twisting double back flip maneuver he’s landed before when he caught his toe-side edge while landing.’ He was flown immediately to the University of Utah hospital where he received surgery last Thursday to alleviate fluid buildup around his brain, the LA Times article reported.
Another LA Times article quoted Pearce’s doctor, Holly Ledyard, a neurointensivist. She told the Times, ‘Kevin sustained a severe traumatic brain injury. He is currently in intensive care and in critical condition, but stable and has not needed to undergo surgery at this time. He is intubated and being kept sedated. The focus over the next week will be watching for any swelling in his brain and keeping his brain pressure normal.’
A recent update on the ‘Well Wishes to our Friend Kevin Pearce’ Facebook page read, ‘Jan 4, 12:19pm: Kev just had a great exam’¦responding well to treatment’¦ Your thoughts and prayers are definitely working! ‘“Adam’ The Facebook page, created on December 31, 2009, the day of Pearce’s tragic accident, had 12,359 supportive fans at the time of this writing. The wall is filled with thousands of positive comments of love, goodwill, and prayers for Pearce to get well.
Kevin Pearce was set to make a bid for the gold medal in the upcoming winter Olympics. He won the silver medal at last year’s X Games, and even beat snowboarding great, Shaun White, at the 2008 and 2009 Burton European Open competitions.
While it remains unclear how long it will take Pearce to recover, his friends and fans are certain that he will make it back to the slopes as soon as possible. Let’s hope so.
References:
Burgess, Kelly. (January 2, 2010) ‘Snowboarder Kevin Pearce in critical condition after halfpipe accident.’ Retrieved on January 3, 2010 from the Los Angeles Times website:http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/outposts/2010/01/snowboarder-kevin-pearc…
Burgess, Kelly. (January 3, 2010) ‘Snowboarder Kevin Pearce remains in critical condition with traumatic brain injury.’ Retrieved on January 3, 2010 from the Los Angeles Times website: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/outposts/2010/01/snowboarder-kevin-pearc…
Facebook Page. (January 4, 2010) ‘Well Wishes to our Friend Kevin Pearce.’ Retrieved on January 4, 2010 from the Facebook website: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Well-Wishes-to-our-Frend-Kevin-Pearce/2323…