13 hours Ago By Cheryl Chan
A Port Coquitlam teen is clinging to life after tumbling down the side of a mountain in a ski accident near the Cypress ski resort last weekend. Carson Storey, 18, was out skiing with friends on Mount Strachan on Sunday when he tried to help a friend retrieve an errant ski, slipped and fell down what rescue crews described as “a tremendous distance.” He eventually came to a stop, battered and unconscious.
Five days later, Storey hasn’t regained consciousness and remains in intensive care. “It’s all so heartbreaking,” said a family friend, Lisa Smith. “Our whole community is hurting.
” Storey, who was wearing a helmet, hit his head during the fall and had multiple injuries, including scrapes, a broken leg and a broken cheekbone. His injuries were so severe that he was airlifted directly from the mountain to Vancouver General Hospital, where he had surgery. A subsequent MRI scan showed evidence of a traumatic brain injury, and his parents, Mark and Lori, have been told that due to its severity, Carson will likely require lifelong support.
Even on Friday, his condition remained precarious, with fears of a new brain bleed overnight that prompted another CT scan. “The family keeps being told by the medical professionals to prepare for the worst, but are trying hard to be optimistic,” said Smith, who organized an online fundraiser to help cover costs associated with Storey’s hospitalization and future rehabilitation. As of Friday, the GoFundMe has raised more than $70,000.
Smith expressed gratitude to donors and everyone who has offered help and words of support. “It really does mean the world to us all to know how many people care,” she said. Storey’s accident was one of five involving slips and falls that North Shore Rescue responded to over the weekend.
It said sunshine and warm conditions in the city masked treacherous icy conditions in the mountains that caused people to slip and slide down steep terrain. “And when you do, you rapidly pick up speed on the steep slick surface, with the only way of stopping typically being impact with large, immovable objects,” said the organization in a social-media post. Storey was in the Christmas Gully area on the north and west aspects of Mount Strachan and slid down a slope for quite a distance, including cliff falls, it said.
His friend, now in his ski boots, tried to climb down to where Storey stopped, but also fell and slid, sustaining injuries to his lower body. Storey’s family and loved ones are devastated by the accident. His older brother Kyle and girlfriend Diana have been a constant at Storey’s bedside, Smith said.
She said Storey is a “kind and wonderful” kid who graduated from Riverside Secondary School last year. He enjoys camping and concerts and several sports, including lacrosse and hockey. He is captain of the U-18 Port Coquitlam Pirates and coaches an U-13 team in Coquitlam.
Storey is young and strong with a zest for life, said Smith, determined to hold on to hope. “We all know stories of people who have made remarkable recoveries and survived horrific ordeals,” she said. “The hockey community and people everywhere are praying hard that Carson will also be someone who can survive this nightmare and continue to be an inspiration for others.
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