An 18-year-old skier was taken to a Boston hospital after suffering serious injuries in an accident in the Nashoba Valley ski area in Westford, Massachusetts, firefighters said.
According to the Westford Fire Department, the victim was taken by medical helicopter to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center after the incident at around 1:15 pm on Sunday.
The young man was skiing with his family when he collided with a building off the trail near the foot of the Nashoba Slope, which is classified with a blue square that means “more difficult”, the ski area said in a statement.
Al Fletcher, with Nashoba Valley, told NBC10 Boston that the teenager lost control at some point, was ejected from his skis and then slid under the building.
According to the Nashoba Valley statement, onlookers came to the rescue immediately, and Ski Patrol appeared a few minutes later, followed by the EMS shortly thereafter.
Firefighters from Westford, Ski Patrol and Boston MedFlight responded to the ski area, located at 79 Powers Road, where the victim was trapped under a building, firefighters said. The teenager was released and is seriously injured, according to the Westford Fire Department.
The skiers who witnessed the collision told NBC10 Boston that the teenager went down the hill very quickly and did not stop before hitting the shed-like structure.
“He went down very fast, I only saw him when he fell,” said Ângelo Cruz, who was at the foot of the slope with his daughter.
Cruz told NBC10 Boston that he tried to help the teenager, but failed because he was housed under the shed.
“His head was on the deck and he didn’t move,” said Cruz.
Fletcher says the teenager suffered lacerations on his face and some kind of head injury. Nashoba Valley said in his statement that he was wearing a helmet at the time of the accident.
It is not clear why the skier did not stop or how he lost control.
“[He] he just went down the slope and without stopping or nothing came straight in, ”said witness Amy Carta.
Carta says Nashoba Slope is very steep and can be tricky for skiers.
“I would definitely consider another intermediary, it’s too steep here for a blue one in my opinion, my guys are beginners and it can get a little tricky in the middle until you get here.”
The ski area called it a “serious” incident and said it wanted the public to know about them, although it urged people to avoid speculating about the victim’s condition.
“Out of concern for the young man and his family, we ask you to refrain from speculating and to keep him, his family and the Nashoba team and the first respondents who answered him in his prayers,” continues the statement from the ski area.
There was no update on the teenager’s condition until 7:15 pm on Sunday.
The incident is being investigated by local and state police as well as Nashoba Valley Ski Area personnel.