Groveland Twp. – Slope safety is foremost in the minds of area skiers following the Mt. Holly accident last week that resulted in the death of a Swartz Creek boy.
Ralph E. Margetson III, 12, died Dec. 31, 2004 at Hurley Medical Center after suffering a head injury when he hit a pine tree between runs while skiing with family.
‘He basically skied into a tree,? said Mark Tibbitts, Mt. Holly general manager.
Mt. Holly is investigating the tragedy, Tibbitts said.
‘Safety-wise, we address everything that could be a potential hazard,? Tibbitts said.
As part of the natural landscape, trees often remain at ski areas to serve as windbreaks and contribute to the aesthetic environment.
According to Michigan’s Ski Safety Act of 1962, skiers must accept ‘obvious and necessary? dangers of the sport, including injuries resulting from the terrain, rocks, bare spots, trees, snow, and ice conditions (see http://www.michiganlegislature.org/printDocument.aspx’objName=mcl-act-199-of-1962&version=txt).
The young man’s injury and death came as a shock to staff at Mt. Holly, said Tibbitts, who attended Ralph’s funeral this week.
‘We are definitely grieving for this family. It’s a tremendous loss.?
According to the National Ski Areas Association, there were approximately 7.4 million skiers in 2002.
NSAA estimates approximately 38 people die in skiing or snowboarding accidents each year (see http://www.nsaa.org/nsaa/safety/facts_about_skiing_and_snowboarding.asp).
Of emergency calls involving skiers and snowboarders from Mt. Holly to Genesys Regional Medical Center last year responded to by the Groveland Township Fire Department last year, only 20 percent involved skiers, said Groveland battalion chief Pat Stamper in a 2004 interview with The Citizen.
Like many skiers, Ralph was not wearing a helmet at the time of the accident. Helmets are not required by law, said Tibbitts.
NSAA has helped develop ‘Lids on Kids?, an informational site to aid in deciding whether to wear a helmet, considered a matter of personal or parental choice.
While helmets offer protection, experts are divided on their effectiveness. Helmets may impair hearing, they assert, and must fit well with goggles.
It’s also believed skiers may exhibit reckless behavior with the protection of a helmet, resulting in an increased number of injuries.
Ski injury expert Jasper Shealy, Ph.D. advises helmet-wearers to ski as if they’re not wearing a helmet (see http://www.lidsonkids.org/experts.asp).
NSAA stresses it’s critical to follow the skier’s responsibility code:
nAlways stay in control, and be able to stop or avoid other people or objects.
nPeople ahead of you have the right of way. It is your responsibility to avoid them.
nYou must not stop where you obstruct a trail, or are not visible from above.
nWhenever starting downhill or merging into a trail, look uphill and yield to others.
nAlways use devices to help prevent runaway equipment.
nObserve all posted signs and warnings.
nKeep off closed trails and out of closed areas.
nPrior to using any lift, you must have the knowledge and ability to load, ride and unload safely.