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City Manager Jon Roberts regains consciousness

Official makes huge step in recovery at Denver hospital after ski accident

Mike Lawrence
Jon Roberts
John F. Russell

— The recovery of City Manager Jon Roberts took a huge step forward at a Denver hospital Monday as he regained consciousness for the first time since his Jan. 2 fall at Steamboat Ski Area.

“He was fully conscious; he is communicating. He can’t talk, but he shakes his head ‘yes’ and ‘no,’” said Deputy City Manager Wendy DuBord, who has been in close contact with Jon Roberts’ wife, LeAnn. “He actually got out of bed, and they put him in a wheelchair, which is huge to have him sitting up instead of lying down the whole time.

“This is just a huge day of progress.”



A spokeswoman for Denver Health medical center said Jon Roberts remained in critical condition Monday evening. DuBord learned about his consciousness after speaking with LeAnn Roberts late Monday. She said it appeared Jon Roberts was continually awake and not slipping in and out of consciousness.

Earlier Monday, DuBord cited other significant progress for Jon Roberts — he’d tried to mouth words, she said, including a request for paper on which to write.



DuBord said according to LeAnn Roberts, Jon Roberts attempted to write on paper after that request. While he was unable to form words, DuBord said, the step was another encouraging sign.

“That shows some fine motor skills,” DuBord said.

In recent days, Roberts has flashed the “peace” sign on request, opened his eyes on occasion and responded to verbal commands for simple actions, such as raising an arm slightly.

He suffered a broken eye socket and three broken ribs in the fall. DuBord said Monday that Roberts might also have injured his left shoulder or arm. Roberts was found unconscious on the flat area below the intermediate Sitz ski run early in the afternoon Jan. 2. The ski run is below the Christie Peak Express lift and above the expert See Me and See Ya runs.

DuBord said Roberts is not communicating about what might have led to his fall.

“I don’t think they’re asking him those kind of questions yet,” she said.

Details emerge about fall

A Steamboat Ski Patrol report sheds some light on the accident. While Steamboat Ski and Resort Corp. declined to release the report, Ski Corp. spokesman Mike Lane and Steamboat Springs Police Depart­ment Chief JD Hays commented on it Monday.

“We’ve spoken to three witnesses, and their account is pretty consistent with what we’ve said before, that it wasn’t a collision,” Lane said. “It was a fall to snow.”

Lane said none of those witnesses actually saw Roberts fall.

“One saw him start down Sitz, disappear a little bit, then kind of a poof of snow from his fall,” Lane said.

The other two witnesses reached Roberts after the fall and found him unconscious. Lane said one witness reported Roberts skiing with “moderate speed.”

Hays said Roberts was found facedown. Both skis came off in the fall. One ski was found behind Roberts, Hays said, and the other was 100 to 200 yards down the slope, ahead of Roberts.

Hays said the ski found in front of Roberts, his right ski, contained part of the sole of Rob­erts’ boot in the binding.

Hays said that kind of boot damage, while highly unusual, has been known to occur, especially on cold days and with plastic boots. He noted that temperatures on Mount Werner were 10 to 15 degrees at the time of Roberts’ fall.

Youth skiers raced the giant slalom course on Sitz and See Me earlier Jan. 2 as part of the Steamboat Cup. Lane said conditions were not unusual that day, even after the youth event.

“The run was in similar shape to what it is every day we operate,” Lane said.

DuBord, Lane and Hays spoke about the continuing community support and well-wishes for Roberts. Several local residents made the trip to Denver during the weekend to visit with his family at the hospital.

— To reach Mike Lawrence, call 871-4233 or e-mail mlawrence@steamboatpilot.com


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