Last week we reported on Kevin Pearce, the Olympic-hopeful snowboarder who endured a severe traumatic brain injury while training on a frozen halfpipe at Park City, Utah for an Olympics qualifier. Pearce hit his head on the hard icy wall of the halfpipe while attempting to land a cab double cork. In the middle of the twisting double-backflip move, Pearce caught his toe-side edge on the lip of the halfpipe and crashed.
A previous article on this blog reported that Pearce was still unconscious in critical condition at the University of Utah Hospital. An update to the Facebook fan page Pearce’s family created said, ‘Kevin is in serious condition and remains in intensive care. We’ve been able to remove his breathing tube, and he is slowly regaining consciousness and able to follow commands,’ an article in the Los Angeles Times reported.
Pearce’s doctors, family, friends, and fellow snowboarders all have high hopes that he will make a swift and full recovery, and return to the slopes as soon as possible. Danny Davis, a friend of Pearce’s, was reported to have landed three double corks against Shaun White during the U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix. Pearce had formerly bested White at Burton European Open events in 2008 and 2009. Davis beat White most recently using the same move that Pearce was attempting when he endured his head injury.
We wish Kevin Pearce a fast and full recovery. Further developments in his recovery will be reported as information and updates become available.
References:
Brain and Spinal Cord Staff. (January 6, 2010) Retrieved on January 10, 2010 from the brainandspinalcord.org website:https://brainandspinalcord.org/blog/2010/01/06/olympic-snowboarding-h…
Burgess, Kelly. (January 7, 2010) ‘Snowboarder Kevin Pearce is regaining consciousness; has been upgraded from critical to serious condition.’ Retrieved on January 10, 2010 from the Los Angeles Times website:http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/outposts/2010/01/snowboarder-kevin-pearc…