It’s funny how when something bad happens to a celebrity, suddenly everyone is rallying for some cause or another. These are the same people that are oblivious to the same bad things happening day in and day out. Perhaps it’s part of the celebrity obsessed society that we live in, or perhaps its like an Ostrich with its head in the sand, if we can’t see it then it doesn’t exist.

Nearly ten years have passed since the deaths of Sonny Bono and Michael Kennedy. In that time, people have forgotten or moved on from the idea that helmets need to be mandatory at ski resorts. A subject that has been left to the theory that it’s one’s personal choice. Now once again with a famous celebrity dying from a head injury on a ski slope, more people are fired up about this topic.

At any ski resort in North America there is a disclaimer that states something to the effect that skiing and snowboarding are inherently dangerous sports and you could die from them. It is a risk that anyone that touches the slopes takes. Why is it suddenly a huge ordeal with a celebrity’s death? People have died for decades doing snow sports, it isn’t anything new by any means. Granted, now people have a face to associate to an accident that resulted in a death.

Do helmets save lives? They can definitely reduce the risk of serious injury or death. But what people are failing to realize is that with something like Natasha Richardson’s death, is that a helmet doesn’t always make the difference. She was the one that turned medical help away for whatever reason. This is where good common sense should have come into play. Maybe the helmet would have saved her, maybe it wouldn’t. Who are we to say different?

A helmet will never replace good common sense which is something that needs to be used when on the slopes. Rallying to have it become a mandatory piece of ski apparel will only go so far. At the end of the day if more people are cognizant of their surroundings perhaps less injuries will occur.

Posted by Avran on Saturday, March 28th, 2009 in Snow.

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