Russian Skater Falls Headfirst to Ice

[Bossy Monkey]

Oct 23, 11:20 PM EDT

Russian Skater Falls Headfirst to Ice

PITTSBURGH (AP) -- World champion pairs skater Tatiana Totmianina of Russia fell headfirst onto the ice during the free skate at Skate America on Saturday.

Totmianina's partner, Maxim Marinin, had just lifted her into the air in a one-handed lift when they lost their balance. Totmianina tumbled to the ice as the crowd gasped.

She lay motionless for about five minutes before being carried off on a stretcher.

U.S. figure skating officials said Totmianina was "stabilized well" by an attending physician and taken by ambulance to the trauma center at nearby Mercy Hospital. They would not release any details on her condition, citing patient privacy laws.

(slightly more)
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/F/FIG_SKATE_AMERICA_FALL?SITE=SCCOL&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Hope she's ok. This is actually Latest Breaking, but I figured there'd be more interest here than in LBN.

[Mizmoon]

1. That shit looks dangerous

I guess it really is too.

I hope the skater gets better soon.

[susanna]

2. As a former gymnast...

...otherwise known as ice skating without a hard surface, I pray for her. Five minutes is a long, long time to be out. Even longer if you're watching her be carried out of the arena. :-(

[Bjornsdotter]

3. It is....

....my kids skated pairs for years. My son fell backwards while holding his sister above his head....he hit his head on the ice and threw his sister forward; she slammed her face on the ice.

Fortunately, both were okay....but I can tell you I was sitting in the stands when it happened. It was the worst experience I ever had as a "skating mom".

I've seen many horrible accidents in skating, but the pairs accidents are always the worst.

Cheers,
Kim :toast:

[RPM]

4. Glad we have good hopitals here in PGH

hope all turns out OK.