Skier Called Improved, but Still in Coma

Austrian skier Christina Putz was reported slightly improved but still in a coma Friday following a high-speed crash in a World Cup women’s downhill race Thursday at Val D’Isere, France.

Dr. Sigurd Wagner of the Austrian team said it could be several days before the 19-year-old skier recovered consciousness.

“She is a little better and has shown some reactions,” he said.

Putz sustained a head injury but no internal injuries when she flipped in the air, crashed into a plastic barrier and landed on the ground. Wagner said she also required stitches to heal tongue and lip cuts.

Wagner accompanied Putz to the Sablons hospital in Grenoble.

Kraig Sourbeer of East Burke, Vt., who suffered a broken bone in his neck Thursday when he crashed during training for Saturday’s World Cup men’s downhill race at Val Gardena, Italy, “is up and walking around,” according to U.S. Ski Team spokesman John Dakin.

Sourbeer suffered a fracture between the sixth and seventh vertebrae but has “no neurological problem,” Dakin said Friday.

Sourbeer is expected to fly back to the United States Monday and will probably be treated by Dr. Richard Steadman at South Lake Tahoe, Calif. As for Sourbeer’s skiing again, Dakin said, “I don’t see any problem with that.”