BRECKENRIDGE
1st-time skier from La.
dies after hitting tree
A 21-year-old Louisiana man died while skiing Tuesday afternoon at the Breckenridge ski area, officials reported.
William McDonnel, a student at Tulane University, lost control and hit a tree while skiing with some classmates on a beginner trail shortly after 2 p.m.
It was his first day on skis, and he had not taken any instruction, said Summit County Coroner Joann Richardson.
He was not wearing a helmet.
Despite resuscitation efforts by the resort ski patrol, he was pronounced dead at the Breckenridge Medical Center.
COLORADO – Statewide traffic deaths decreased in 2006 for the third year in a row, the Colorado Department of Transportation announced Tuesday.
Last year, 532 people died in traffic crashes on Colorado highways. That was down from 606 deaths in 2005 and 667 deaths during 2004, according to a news release.
The 2006 fatalities were a 12 percent drop from 2005, reaching a low last seen in 1992.
Fatalities on the roads in 2006 dropped the most during January, February, March, April, June, July, September and December over the same months the year before.
In December 2006, there were 32 traffic deaths compared with 55 such deaths in December 2005. Of those 55, 47 were drivers and passengers in crashes, seven were pedestrians and one was a motorcyclist who was not wearing a helmet.
