Eighteen-year-old Mepham student Erin Clare Malloy-McArdle of North Bellmore was killed on Sunday at approximately 10:30 a.m. at Windham Mountain ski resort in upstate New York when she left a ski trail she was on and collided with a tree.

According to New York State Police, Erin was skiing in the area of the Upper Warpath trail, a blue trail, when she lost control while skiing and left the trail at a high rate of speed into a wooded area, where she struck a hardwood tree. She was not wearing a helmet, not considered an equipment requirement when skiing.

Police say she was treated by the Windham Mountain Ski Patrol at the site after sustaining extensive head injuries, and was transported to a local hospital, where she died.

Tim Woods, president and general manager of Windham, told Merrick Life that Erin was skiing on the blue trail Upper Warpath, a more difficult trail, and was transiting into the Wall Street trail, an easy green trail, when she lost control and plummeted into the woods.  State police confirmed her path through eyewitness reports.

“I’ve seen expert skiiers sustain traumatic injuries from, for example, equipment failures that cause them to lose balance,” Mr. Woods said.  Besides equipment failures, icy patches, sudden dips in terrain and small mounds of snow on the trail can also cause a skiier to lose balance, other skiiers have said.

“This is definitely a shock to us all,” remarked Joe Sciara, owner of Thrifty Beverage in North Bellmore, where Erin worked for the better part of a year. Andrew Fowler, who worked closely with Erin, said she was always courteous and kind to customers, and helped them in any way she could.

“She was just always smiling,” added Mr. Sciara.

Tracie and Tom Hans and their family from North Merrick were on the slopes at Windham at the time of Erin’s accident.

“It was heartbreaking and devastating,” said Mrs. Hans.

“The kids were on the mountain, and the ski patrol cleared the way to bring her down and they could see them actually doing CPR on Erin.”  

Last weekend was the culmination of Windham’s Safety Week and the accident was the first time in 16 years they had a fatality on the mountain, Mrs. Hans heard from a member of the ski patrol.

Mr.  Woods said records indicate the last fatality at Windham Mountain was on Christmas Day, 16 years ago.

The Hans family recently learned firsthand the consequences of wearing a helmet while skiing when they hosted a friend a few weeks ago who was a novice skier. The young girl had an accident and dislocated her knee from a collision with a tree. She was told by those that came to her rescue that she was very fortunate to have been wearing a helmet. The results of her accident would’ve been far worse had she not been.

Mepham school officials declined to comment on the loss of their popular student – who had a high grade average and was involved in several clubs – because they were counseling many in the student body.

But the Central High School District released this statement to Bellmore Life early Monday afternoon: “The Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District is devastated over the tragic loss of a Mepham High School senior [Erin Malloy-McArdle]. Our thoughts and prayers are with the student’s family and friends during this difficult time.

“The district is offering grief counseling services at Mepham. When classes reconvene on Tuesday, the district encourages students and staff in need of support to speak to crisis counselors at the school.”

Mr. Woods told Bellmore Life that once the call came in, “We had a medical doctor on the ski patrol that attended to her, and there was a doctor on a nearby slope who came to assist as well.”

He said the patrol immediately called for a Code Red, which cleared the slopes as the patrol doctor administered to her air passageways and circulation on the way down. “She had a cervical collar on and was placed on a backboard.”

Mr. Woods said the fatality has been hard on the staff. “It was a horrible accident, and it breaks your heart,” he said of Erin’s death on the slopes. “The entire team was at the scene, and now we have a local counselor helping to monitor the staff,” he added.

“I have four kids, and I’m hugging each of them a little bit more every day now.”

The wake for Mepham student Erin will be at O’Reilly’s Funeral Home, Rosedale, Queens, Wednesday and Thursday, from 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. 

The Friday funeral will take place at St. Clare’s Roman Catholic  Church at 9:30 a.m., with interment to follow at St. Charles Cemetery in Farmingdale.

By Doug Finlay

Doug Finlay is the assistant editor for Bellmore Life newspaper. He is also an award-winning writer for L&M Publications.