PARK CITY, Utah — Thousands of Utahns hit the slopes each winter, and Intermountain Healthcare trauma teams are helping them stay safe.
They held the first of two safety events at Deer Valley Ski Resort in Park City on Friday.
"We're giving out helmets to the community and teaching them the importance of wearing helmets while they're out skiing, snowboarding and enjoying the winter," said Dr. Wing Province, an emergency physician and regional medical director for Intermountain Park City Hospital.
It was out with the old and in with the new.
Skiers who turned out were fitted for a new helmet. In all, around 50 helmets were given out in a two-hour span.
The hope is it will help keep them safe on the slopes and out of the emergency room.
"It's about 20 percent — one in five individuals — who are out without a helmet will come in with a serious brain injury, traumatic brain injury," said Province.
According to the National Ski Areas Association, helmets can reduce head injuries by 30 to 50 percent.
FULL STORY: Helmet saves 19-year-old skier's life after smashing into tree, family says
It was six years ago that Mike McGurl, an avid skier and Park City resident, had an accident at Deer Valley.
"I was at the top of Deer Valley and hit some rocks and essentially crushed my left side of my body," said McGurl. "I had what's called a hemothorax, which is a couple liters of blood in my lungs. Ended up in the ICU with a couple of drains."
It's an incident that still sticks with him today.
"When I get to the exact spot, I remember very clearly what happened and how much pain I was in that day," said McGurl.
He says it would have been much worse had he not been wearing his helmet.
"If I wasn't wearing a helmet, I wouldn't be here talking to you to you today," he said.
That's why McGurl is hoping his experience and events like this will serve as an important reminder of how a helmet can not only protect skiers, but even save their lives.
"It's just a matter of getting used to it, and then you can't do without it. Wear a helmet and you'll be more comfortable and safer," he said.
Intermountain American Fork Hospital's trauma team will be holding a similar event on Saturday, but to raise awareness about the importance of safety when sledding. They will be joining the Lone Peak Fire Department to put on the event at the Tibble Fork parking lot in American Fork Canyon. It will take place from 1-3 p.m.
