Freestyle moguls skier Travis Mayer, the 2002 Olympic silver medalist, was involved in a car crash Tuesday afternoon in a Buffalo, N.Y., suburb that resulted in the death of another driver.
Mayer, a native of western New York who is a student at Cornell, lists Steamboat Springs as his hometown. He attended the Lowell Whiteman School and competed for the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club.
The driver of the other car was identified as Diane Hamblin, 44, of Arcade, N.Y. The accident occurred in Wales, 19 miles southeast of Buffalo. Mayer, who was unhurt, ran a stop sign and was charged with a traffic violation, according to Erie County sheriff Timothy Howard, who said the investigation of the accident is continuing.
U.S. Ski Team spokesman Tom Kelly said Mayer was driving in an unfamiliar area, but the team had no other details.
“Travis is an outstanding young man, a dedicated student at Cornell and an accomplished athlete,” Kelly said. “As a member of our team and family, our thoughts are with Travis in what is surely a difficult time.”
Mayer, 23, was a surprise member of the 2002 Olympic team, jumping from the C team to the A team in a few weeks and qualifying for his Salt Lake berth by prevailing in a pre-Olympic qualifying event on the Olympic course at Deer Valley.
He is considered a contender to make the 2006 Olympic team in moguls, along with Jeremy Bloom of Loveland, Toby Dawson of Vail and Travis Cabral of South Lake Tahoe, Calif.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
