Sarah Burke’s Family Left With Massive Debt, Fans Cover All Outstanding Bills

Only in America could the death of a woman at the very peak of her life, before she reached the age of 30, be only the start of a tragedy faced by the family that lost her- and the death of skiier Sarah Burke is no different despite her high-profile and fame.

Burke was 29 when she fell victim to a training accident on the slopes in Park City, Utah on December 31st of last year. The accident occurred after a seemingly simple maneuver she performed, and the athlete fell and hit her head- however, after the fall, she experienced cardiac arrest, which greatly diminished her chances of recovery. Burke lingered on life support for a few weeks, but ultimately succumbed to “irreversible damage to her brain due to lack of oxygen and blood” following the cardiovascular incident.

Burke, a Canadian, incurred what were initially half a million dollars in hospital bills due to the attempts to save her life, and husband Rory Bushfield faced the monumental task of not only burying his young wife, but coping with the massive debts. The situation was complicated by the fact that Burke was treated in the US as a Canadian citizen, and further because her contract with Monster Energy covered her for accidents during a competition, but not injuries sustained while training.

The bills were adjusted to a still-staggering $200,000, and a site dedicated to raising funds for Burke’s treatment later reported that nearly $250,000 was raised by fans of the skiier, eliminating the large debt. The site updated fans:

“Due to the outpouring of love and support, enough funds have been raised to cover the anticipated costs related to Sarah’s medical care based on the numbers received from the hospital.”

In a statement released after Burke’s death, her family expressed “their heartfelt gratitude for the international outpouring of support they have received from all the people Sarah touched.”