Canadian freestyle skier Sarah Burke was in critical condition Thursday after undergoing a successful operation to repair a torn vertebral artery that had caused bleeding to her brain.
Burke, 29, sustained “serious injuries” after an accident Tuesday in which she crashed on a half-pipe ramp in Park City, Utah.
“With injuries of this type, we need to observe the course of her brain function before making definitive pronouncements about Sarah’s prognosis for recovery,” Dr. William Couldwell, the neurosurgeon at the University of Utah who performed Burke’s surgery, said in a press release from Burke’s publicist. “Our Neuro Critical Care team will be monitoring her condition and response continuously over the coming hours and days.”