Sarah Burke Medical Bill of $500,000 Paid by Fans
Sarah Burke's medical bill eventually totaled up to being more than $500,000. The enormous bill was handed over to her family, who were faced paying the bill following the young skier's death.
Burke died recently in a Utah hospital following a horrific accident. However, her medical insurance did not cover the event that she was killed at, and the insurance company refused to cover the costs of treatment that was used in an attempt to save her life.
However, an outpouring of sympathy and love came from her fans, who donated massive amounts that eventually covered the expenses and save her family the cost of her medical bills.
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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 skier was tragically killed at the age of 29, after suffering 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.
She suffered "irreversible damage to her brain due to lack of oxygen and blood after cardiac arrest," according to doctors.
CEO of the Canadian Freestyle Skiing Association, Peter Judge, 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."
