Mountain Biking - Big Bear: Rider dies during downhill practice

From VeloNews.com:

Big Bear: Rider dies during downhill practice


By VeloNews Interactive

This report filed May 17, 2003


Tragedy struck Big Bear Lake on Saturday when Japanese downhiller Haruko Fujinaka was killed in a crash while practicing on the Snow Summit Resort course.

According to Big Bear fire department captain Richard Flint, the 33-year-old Fujinaka lost control of her bike after hitting one of the many jumps on the course and crashed hard. When Flint arrived at the scene Fujinaka was unconscious and not responsive to any stimuli.

The Associated Press reported that Fujinaka was then taken to a local hospital before being flown by helicopter to Loma Linda University Medical Center in Riverside County. The Kyoto native was pronounced dead at 11:51 a.m.

Deputy coroner Jim Sedgwick said Fujinaka died from multiple injuries, but official cause of death would not be known until an autopsy was performed later in the week.

Holy ****....thats definately something that a mountain biker dosent want to hear. Some of those out east people are nuts though, is there any more information on the course? Was it really that dangerous? I can still remember the guy that tried to jump the great wall.....on an extremely cheap bike. He also died...

On a slightly related note- I know a guy that died almost a year ago during a rapid descent downhill. From what I'm understanding, the witnesses said they saw his bike wobbling from behind, and I guess he somehow lost control of his bike and went down and died. I also understand he was going pretty fast too.

I wonder if this woman was wearing a helmet, and if not, would it have helped prevent such a massive injury?

R.I.P. :angel:

Koff

The whole storey

http://www.velonews.com/race/mtn/articles/3931.0.html

Hmmm... no mention of whether she was wearing a helmet or not. I'm just wondering, that's all.

Koff

Originally posted by Koffee Brown
Hmmm... no mention of whether she was wearing a helmet or not. I'm just wondering, that's all.

Koff

I don't know. I would think so. Dhillers are usually pretty dedicated to their armour. Usually.

Originally posted by Koffee Brown
Hmmm... no mention of whether she was wearing a helmet or not. I'm just wondering, that's all.

Koff

The race is the first race of the NORBA season. SO I am pretty sure she was wearing a helmet, seeing that it is a NORBA sanctioned race. And since it was a DH race I am sure she had on atleast a fullface helmet, chest/spine protector, elbow pads and knee/shin armour.

that is horrable! Thanks mae for the link! How very sad, but a good reminder that we are not indestructable!

i just finished reading the whole story... i think it was an event so she had to be wearing a helmet.

note to self!! readall the posts....then post kev had it all summed up!

Helmets are great for protecting your head, but you nothing to prevent neck injuries.

Originally posted by Koffee Brown
On a slightly related note- I know a guy that died almost a year ago during a rapid descent downhill. From what I'm understanding, the witnesses said they saw his bike wobbling from behind, and I guess he somehow lost control of his bike and went down and died. I also understand he was going pretty fast too.

I wonder if this woman was wearing a helmet, and if not, would it have helped prevent such a massive injury?

R.I.P. :angel:

Koff

When person lands on his neck, the weight of the body breaks the spinal cord, cousing instand death... In such an accasion, helmet doesn't make any difference.

When they got to her she was not breathing and had no pulse. They revived her only to have her die at the hospital.

We had a moment of silence for her today before the pros went and her fellow countrymen stepped it up and smoked all but two of the pro women.

No. the course was not that dangerous in terms of being technical. It was a high speed jumping course. The crash happend at the bottom where there were two huge stepdowns



:beer: