An 18-year-old skier was flown to a Boston hospital after sustaining serious injuries in an accident at 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 Sunday around 1:15 p.m.
The young man was skiing with the family when he collided with a building off the Nashoba slope, which is classified with a blue square meaning “harder”, the ski resort said in a statement.
Al Fletcher, with the Nashoba Valley, told NBC10 Boston, the teenager at one point lost control, was pushed away from his skis and slipped under the building.
According to the Nashoba Valley statement, bystanders provided immediate assistance, and Ski Patrol was on the scene minutes later, followed by EMS shortly thereafter.
Westford Fire, Ski Patrol and Boston MedFlight did respond to the ski area, located at 79 Powers Road, where the victim was trapped under a building, firefighters said. According to the Westford Fire Department, the teenager was wiped out and seriously injured.
Skiers who witnessed the collision tell NBC10 Boston that the teenager came down the mountain quickly and did not stop until he crashed into the barn-like structure.
“He came down really fast, I only saw him when he fell,” said Angelo Cruz, who was with his daughter at the bottom of the slope.
Cruz tells NBC10 Boston that he tried to help the teenager, but he could not because he was under the barn.
“His head was inside the deck and he was not moving,” Cruz said.
Fletcher says the teen suffered facial reports and some sort of head injury. Nashoba Valley said in their statement that he was wearing a helmet during the accident.
It is not clear why the skier did not stop, or how he lost control.
‘[He] just came down the hill and without stopping or something just went in right, ”said eyewitness Amy Carta.
Carta says the Nashoba slope is quite steep and can be difficult for skiers.
“I would definitely consider it more of an intermediary, I think it’s pretty steep here for a blue, my guys are beginners and it can get a little tricky in the middle section until you get down here.”
The ski resort calls it a ‘serious’ incident and says they want the public to hear it from them, although they have urged people not to speculate about the victim’s condition.
“Out of concern for the young man and his family, we ask that you do not like speculation, and that you preserve him, his family and the Nashoba staff and first responders who attended him in your prayers,” the declaration of the ski resort. .
There was no update on the condition of the teenager on Sunday at 7:15 p.m.
The incident is being investigated by local and state police, as well as staff in the Nashoba Valley ski area.