Torn Aorta Killed Skier At Schweitzer

Thu., Feb. 24, 2000

From Staff

A skier who died following an accident on Schweitzer Mountain on Sunday suffered a torn aorta, according to an autopsy report.

Bonner County Sheriff Chip Roos said it wouldn’t have made a difference if Michael Kazuba, 44, had been wearing a helmet when he hit the tree, because the injury was to the chest area.

The autopsy found nothing to indicate there was a problem with Kazuba’s heart prior to the accident.

Kazuba had worked as a ski instructor at Mt. Spokane for about eight years, said Bill Hofer, the training director at Mt. Spokane. He was a level two certified instructor.

“This was a part-time, fun job; it was a hobby of his,” Hofer said. Kazuba worked at Alcatel, a computer networking company, in the Spokane Valley.

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