Sarah Burke Medical Bill $550,000; Donations Flood In
Sarah Burke 's medical bill is over $500,000, and her family has to face it following the untimely death of the young skier.
Burke passed away last week in a Utah hospital following an accident that occurred at an event not covered by her insurance carriers, allowing them to avoid paying the medical bills.
Although the family of the late Canadian sportswoman was slated to cover the astronomical $500,000 medical bill, a massive outpouring of international support following the accident of the late skier resulted in a surge of financial donations that will enable the family of cover the expenses.
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"Because of the donations in the last day, it is now clear that Sarah's family will not have any financial burden related to her care," family spokeswoman Nicole Wool said in a statement issued this past Friday.
The family spokesperson added that any further contributions will go towards establishing a foundation "to honor Sarah's legacy and promote the ideals she valued and embodied."
The Canadian freestyle skier, 29, passed away last week due to injuries suffered from an accident in Utah that occurred on Jan. 10. Burke was training at the Park City Mountain resort and crashed while training in the half pipe.
The accident caused the skier to be placed into a medically induced coma.
She suffered "irreversible damage to her brain due to lack of oxygen and blood after cardiac arrest," according to doctors.
Burke's fatal accident occurred at an unsanctioned private event held by Monster Energy Drink and was not covered by her insurance carriers.
Peter Judge, CEO of the Canadian Freestyle Skiing Association, told CBC News that Burke was not covered by insurance as, "she was in the U.S. taking part in a third-party training opportunity, something that was separate to our program."
Following the skier's untimely death, her family issued a statement thanking fans for the "international outpouring of support."
