Senator pushes for helmet rental law

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - The death of a 10-year-old girl who ran into a tree after losing control while skiing this week has one state senator proposing a law to require ski areas to offer helmets for rent.

Shelby Gillespie of Bushland, Texas, died Tuesday after the accident at Ski Santa Fe. She was not wearing a helmet and apparently died from head injuries.

State Sen. Eric Griego hopes his proposal would help save lives.

"People who travel for tourism like to be able to rent all their stuff here," he said. "And if we can rent them boards and rent them skis, I think we can rent them helmets."

Ann Haines said she and her family always wear helmets while skiing, and she'd like to see laws like the one Griego is proposing.

"There are a lot of risks, so we just want to do what we can to protect the safety of the family," she said.

Other skiers said the idea of renting helmets raises safety questions.

"How do we know that helmet hasn't gone into a tree?" asked Tonya Tortorci, who does wear a helmet. "How do we know it's not cracked? How do we know there's not some structural integrity issue?"

Sandia Peak Ski Area just outside Albuquerque rents boots, skis, poles and snowboards, but not helmets. A clerk there said people don't ask about renting helmets.

Currently, no states have any kind of helmet law for skiers and snowboarders. Michigan and New Jersey state governments recently rejected bills requiring children to wear helmets on the slopes.

According to the National Ski Areas Association, 53 skiers and snowboarders died on the slopes in 2008, but couldn't say if helmets would have prevented any of those deaths.