Lalive Injured in Crash After Downhill
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INNSBRUCK, Austria March 1, 2003 (AP)–Caroline Lalive broke two ribs, injured her back and tore ligaments in her right knee in a crash after crossing the finish line of a World Cup downhill Saturday.
Lalive—an American who was 13th in the combined event at the world championships this month—caught a ski in the snow, causing her to twist and fall headfirst. She slid into a barrier in the finish area, where she was hit in the head with one ski, and in the back with the other.
Lalive was taken to the Innsbruck University clinic for surgery on her knee. An assistant to surgeon Peter Seykora provided no further information on Lalive’s condition.
Lalive’s injuries did not appear to be career-threatening, according to Austrian ski team medical chief Brigitte Auer.
The 23-year-old Lalive, who finished 24th Saturday, is known as one of the most frequent crashers in the sport. She failed to finish 10 straight races last year, including at the Salt Lake City Olympics.
Austria’s Michaela Dorfmeister, who won Saturday’s race, was in the finish area when Lalive crashed.
“My instinct told me to run to her. Caroline was in a very bad state,” Dorfmeister said. “I opened her boots and took her goggles off. She could not say much, but she seemed confident.”
Copyright © 2000 The Associated Press
