Teen seriously hurt in skiing accident at Bristol Mountain

BRISTOL, N.Y. (WHEC) — A ski accident at Bristol Mountain on Presidents Day left a 15-year-old skier in the hospital after he landed face-first from a jump.

The incident was so bad that Mercy Flight was called to fly the victim to Strong Memorial Hospital. The 15-year-old suffered significant head and facial injuries after he landed face-first from that jump.

“An individual was going off a jump and didn’t land on feet. At that time, patrol was called and responded to incident,” said Steven Fuller, vice president at Bristol Mountain.

Thanks to the swift response of ski patrol on Bristol Mountain, resort officials say the skier was able to receive immediate assistance.

“Ski patrol did initial assessment of individual and realized he needed additional care, so theyc alled ambulance. The individual was transported down to patrol base, and at that point, they coordinated with Mercy Flight for air ambulance up to Strong,” Fuller said.

Bristol Mountain says its ski patrol, which is part of the national ski patrol, consists of two segments. One is the mountain hosts and the other is the on hill patrol, which is the team that helped rescue the 15-year-old skier.

“Our patrol consists of over 100 individuals who are trained in first aid and also CPR. Not only are they trained in first aid, but also toboggan handling so that means getting individuals off the mountain down to the base where they can be assessed further,” he said.

Resort officials remind skiers that they should ski within their abilities.

“Make sure when you’re turning, you’re not turning in front of someone. You are always looking uphill. We do provide signage at the base of the mountain, on our website and also on the trails,” Fuller added.

The skier was wearing a helmet at the time of the incident. Bristol officials tell News10NBC it is still an ongoing investigation. According to Ontario County authorities, he is currently in the Pediatric ICU at Golisano Children’s Hospital in guarded condition.