Lindsey Vonn Crashes 13 Seconds Into Olympic Downhill; Injured, Airlifted

Lindsey Vonn, 41, who was already competing with a ruptured ACL, crashed 13 seconds into the downhill final in Milan Cortina at the Winter Olympics. She had been skiing in a brace after injuring her ACL just over a week earlier and was attempting to become the oldest Alpine skier to win an Olympic medal.

The crash occurred before the first marker on the 1.6-mile Tofane course. Vonn took a dangerous tumble, was rushed by medical personnel, secured to a stretcher and airlifted from the course. Medical updates say she suffered a broken leg that required surgery to stabilize the injury; she remains under medical evaluation.

"We don’t know anything really yet," Team USA’s head speed coach Paul Kristofic said. "She’s with a medical team in the hospital." Her sister Karin Kildow said Vonn had "dared greatly" and "put it all out there" in her effort to compete again, and called the scene frightening.

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