A Cambridge, Massachusetts resident was killed in a snowboarding accident on Saturday when he hit his head on the ground, swerved off the trial, and crashed into a tree. He appears to have been wearing a helmet at the time. Unfortunately, according to news reports, 29-year-old Sylvan Walton suffered severe injuries to the chest and brain and could not be revived. Walton was staying at a resort in Vermont with friends. It appears that he was an experienced snowboarder-although he hadn’t snowboarded in the last two years-and was on a black diamond trial at the time of the accident.
Skiing and snowboarding fatalities due to collisions with off-trail trees are not all that uncommon. And, as this tragic incident suggests, even precautions like wearing a helmet do not ensure protection from accidents that occur in what can be considered a relatively high-risk sport. Our sympathies are with the friends and family of Mr. Walton.
Cambridge man dies in snowboarding accident at Jay Peak Resort in Vermont, Boston.com, February 12, 2012