After a Crescent Township man died this week from injuries sustained in a snowboarding accident at Seven Springs, officials from the popular Western Pennsylvania resort stress that safety is “paramount” for its guests.

Matthew Camacho-Cook, 35, died Thursday at Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center in Johnstown, where he was taken Dec. 27 after suffering a head injury while snowboarding with his family at the Laurel Mountain getaway in Somerset County.

On Friday, a representative said Camacho-Cook’s family declined to comment and requested “privacy at this difficult time.”

Camacho-Cook worked as an engineer for Carnegie Robotics, said company president John Bares, who declined further comment. Camacho-Cook joined the Lawrenceville firm in 2011 and served as senior mechanical engineer/mechanical engineering manager, according to his LinkedIn profile.

The Allegheny County man’s death marked the second this week at a Pennsylvania resort. Connor Golembiewski, 17, of New Jersey, died New Year’s Day after falling from a chair lift at a Poconos ski resort in Palmerton, Carbon County, according to the Associated Press.

“All of us at Seven Springs are deeply saddened by the tragic accident that occurred here,” resort spokesman Alex Moser said. “Our hearts go out to Mr. Camacho-Cook and his family. Please keep him and his loved ones in your thoughts and prayers, as they will be in ours.”

Camacho-Cook was snowboarding on a beginner slope and was wearing a helmet when he fell around noon Dec. 27, Moser said. Seven Springs Ski Patrol responded immediately, he said. Camacho-Cook was flown to the Cambria County hospital, where he later died from blunt force trauma. The coroner’s office ruled his death an accident.

Moser was unable to provide a number of deaths at Seven Springs from ski and snowboarding incidents.

The last was in 2016, when a Delmont man collided with another skier, the Tribune-Review reported.

Four deaths have occurred at Seven Springs from ski and snowboard related incidents since 2007, according to local news reports.

Wallace Miller, Somerset County’s coroner, said his department has “very few” calls to Seven Springs for ski- and snowboard-related deaths. Wallace estimated that he has responded to two or three deaths at the resort over the past 20 years.

The National Ski Areas Association, a trade association for ski-area owners and operators, reported 37 fatalities at U.S. ski resorts last year.

Staying safe

Officials at Seven Springs urge skiers and snowboarders to follow posted signs and encourage guests to wear helmets. The resort offers safety tips and a responsibility code on its website.

In order to remain safe on the slopes, officials suggest taking lessons from trained instructors, refraining from swerving or stopping suddenly, sharing the slopes with other skiers and snowboarders and always using caution.

Fast and reckless skiing or snowboarding can result in the loss of a lift ticket or season pass.

Other tips include staying in control and being able to stop at any time, having prior knowledge of how to use the lift, yielding to others when starting downhill or merging onto a trail and always remaining visible.

Seven Springs officials also stress the importance of wearing a helmet as a safety precaution.

The NSAA interviewed people at ski resorts across the United States, and data showed that 84 percent of skiers and snowboarders wore helmets last season.

Helmet usage helped reduce potentially serious head injuries from 4.2 percent of all ski and snowboarding injuries to 3 percent from 1995 to 2012, according to the NSAA. Serious head injuries include medically-diagnosed concussions, skull fractures, traumatic brain injuries, closed head injuries and death by head injuries.

Seven Springs offers rental helmets for those who do not own one.

“A helmet is a tool that can help mitigate your risk of injury on the mountain, and in some cases, helmet usage can reduce the occurrence of potentially serious head injuries,” said Adrianne Saia Isaac, who does marketing and communications for NSAA. “However, a helmet does have limits to what it can do to protect you. That’s why it’s also important to follow the points of the responsibility code and be aware of your surroundings on the mountain.”

Megan Tomasic is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Megan at 724-850-1203, mtomasic@tribweb.com or via Twitter @MeganTomasic..

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