Do you want to know why you should wear a helmet while you’re skiing or riding?
Dale Carruthers from the London Free Press reports that George Dlouhy was severely hurt by a falling tree last week at Boler Mountain in Ontario, Canada.
The tree, which was rotten on the inside, was swaying around and ultimately fell due to heavy winds. George was waiting in line with a friend when a nearly 33-foot pine tree crashed down on him.
His injuries included a concussion, a broken shoulder, and a broken pelvis.
Following the incident, the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training, and Skills Development went to the scene to investigate and issued two orders to Boler Mountain.
^A photo of the downed tree. Image Credit: The London Free Press/Dlouhy family
Yakub Dlouhy, who is the son of George Dlouhy, described his father’s current condition, and the importance of his helmet to the London Free Press:
“We’re pretty devastated. Our father is in pretty rough shape. Luckily he’s not paralyzed. His helmet got smashed. If he was not wearing that $700 helmet, he’d be dead probably.”
George Dlouhy had recently retired, and aimed on spending his free time skiing and doing other outdoor activities.
He has already undergone multiple surgeries following the incident, and it’s not clear yet whether he will fully recover.
The Dlouhy family has started a GoFundMe to support George during his rehabilitation process. I’m glad to hear that George is on the road to recovery.
Ultimately, I feel like the Ontario ski resort should’ve done more to support the family. While they released a press statement acknowledging the incident and briefly shut down the lifts, they didn’t reach out to the family, and the lifts were back open during the evening.
Hopefully, Boler Mountain can help the Dlouhy family out in some way and also make sure hazards like this don’t cause a life-threatening incident again.
Image Credits: Boler Mountain, London Free Press/Dloughy Family
