i just dropped my binoculars. i didn t really think she survived. it was about 300, 400 yards. i was just there, just freaking. she wasn t moving for the last 200 yards. she just slid on her back with her head facing down the hill. bridgette s body is limp. she continues to slide down the mountain for what seemed like forever. finally, after about a minute and a half, she comes to a stop, nearly a mile from where she started. even the cameraman shooting this video is shaking. i got the whole, ugly thing. it turned my stomach. ten-four. we ve got a guy approaching. there s no movement right now. it was just horrendous. you felt it was going to be a miracle not to lose your
she s encouraged that bridgette s vital signs are good but knows the extreme skier fell hard over some unforgiving terrain. we see skiers that hit their head and have severe brain damage or die because of the trauma to their head. dr. smalley runs a battery of tests. fearing all kinds of things, broken bones or even worse, internal bleeding, life-threatening swelling, or bleeding of the brain. all the while bridgette s father never leaves her side. she was pretty quiet throughout the first 24 hours. and then she started to come around. amazingly, every test comes back negative. considering her spectacular fall, no broken bones, no internal injuries. it s nothing short of a miracle. the only thing doctors can t determine is how bridgette s brain is affected. i remember up to the start, three, two, one, go. and then i don t have any memory after that. it s determined that bridgette has amnesia. she remains in critical care for seven days. my first memory after the accident
now, from surf to snow. nearly a mile high in valdez, alaska, bridgette meade is a favorite to win the world skiing championships. on her first run down the ski slope, disaster. she was right away flying across the top of the ridge line. bridgette s friend tony harrington is snapping photos of the event near the top of the mountain and immediately knows his friend is in big trouble. unfortunately, when she came into view, she was flipping, going through the air. she didn t have both feet on the ground. bridgette s dad is watching the terrifying scene from the bottom of the mountain. his daughter is tumbling over and over, smashing head over heels into jagged rocks. i was pretty numb, actually.
sitting in a chair in the corner of the room. i was very relieved to see him sitting there. doctors tell her it will be a long road to recovery. it could take up to three years for her brain to heal. but after two weeks in the hospital, she s free to head home to new zealand. it s there that she watches the tape of her accident for the first time. when i saw the footage, i thought it was very violent and i m quite surprised that i didn t break any bones. quite surprised. i think the problem is that it being very windy up there and all the powder being swept off the mountain and the line i was skiing was very, very slick. and i think i was very excited and i was very keen to ski it hard and fast and i just skied it, i just went too fast. amazingly, after less than a year, despite the horrific fall, bridgette does get back on her
daughter. i didn t honestly expect her to survive it. it was about 15 minutes, there was no sign of life. i had a big lens on her. she wasn t moving at all. i just broke down in tears. it was horrible. bridgette lies motionless for 20 minutes while paramedics work on her, and then suddenly, the first good sign. i m looking through my camera at one of my best friends and at that point in time, i had tears in my eyes and everything. suddenly, i saw her leg move. i knew she was alive. rescuers stabilize her and are able to bring her down the mountain to a waiting helicopter. she s choppered to a local hospital. then airlifted to providence alaska medical center in anchorage. it s amazing that she was alive. e.r. doctor janet smalley is on duty that day.