When the last run changes everything

A German woman and her partner had travelled to Austria with a group of friends for the season opening on the Stubai Glacier. They were looking forward to spending a few carefree days on the slopes and to start their winter fun.

The weather was good, the skiing conditions on the glacier were challenging and a bit icy, yet the group had spent most of the day on the slopes. By late afternoon, the woman was beginning to feel tired. She decided to take the final run of the day at a controlled pace.

The accident

On a steep, icy section of the slope, a snowboarder approaching from above lost control. Unable to stop, he collided with her at considerable speed. The impact knocked her to the ground, causing her to strike her head heavily against the frozen surface.

Given the suspected severity of her injuries, a rescue helicopter was called to fly her directly to the university hospital in Innsbruck

Although she was wearing a helmet, the patient immediately lost consciousness. Bleeding from her nose and ears raised serious concern about the extent of her head injury. Her friends, shocked by what had happened, alerted a nearby skier, who called the Austrian emergency services.

Emergency services reached the scene quickly. After receiving initial treatment on the slope, the patient was stabilised and prepared for evacuation. Given the suspected severity of her injuries, a rescue helicopter was called to fly her directly to the university hospital in Innsbruck.

Her partner called the patient’s mother. She activated her daughter’s insurance assistance services and immediately began making her own way to Innsbruck.

The treatment

Once the case was reported, Malteser AeroMedical contacted the treating hospital and established communication with the medical team. Accommodation was arranged close to the hospital for the patient’s mother and partner.

The patient underwent emergency surgery for serious head and spinal injuries. Afterwards, she was kept in a medically induced coma while the treating team worked to stabilise her condition.

When her mother arrived, Malteser AeroMedical arranged a conference call involving the family, its medical consultant and the treating physicians. The accident had placed her mother and partner under enormous emotional strain. Psychological support was therefore arranged to help them through the first days following the accident.

For almost two weeks, the patient remained in Innsbruck. During this period, returning her to Germany was not yet medically possible. The priority was her treatment and stabilisation. Any transfer had to wait until the hospital team was confident that she could tolerate the journey.

The patient was eventually brought out of the coma and once her condition was considered sufficiently stable, preparations began for her transfer to a hospital near her home in Stuttgart.

Since the beginning, the patient’s case was coordinated through the Malteser AeroMedical assistance centre in Cologne. Thankfully, the proximity of the recently opened second aeromedical base in Vienna to Innsbruck meant that the transport could be arranged swiftly.

The transfer

The repatriation was carried out aboard a Learjet 35, stationed at Vienna Airport. The patient was accompanied by Malteser’s in-house medical team and travelled with her mother, while her partner returned to Germany on a scheduled commercial flight.

After landing in Stuttgart, the patient was transferred directly to a local hospital, where her treatment and rehabilitation continued. Her recovery is expected to be long and demanding. Nevertheless, she remains hopeful that she will one day return to the Stubai Glacier, not as a patient, but as a skier.

The case illustrates why distance alone does not determine how straightforward a medical repatriation will be. Stuttgart and Innsbruck are only a few hundred kilometres apart, yet the patient was not stable enough to be moved for almost two weeks. In major trauma cases, the timing and method of transport depend on the patient’s clinical condition, not simply on how close they are to home. Until a transfer becomes possible, communication with the hospital and practical support for accompanying relatives remain an important part of managing the case.