Woman relearning how to walk after fracturing 2 vertebrae in snowboarding accident

Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes

POCATELLO, Idaho — When Lucy Randleas bought her first snowboarding season pass, she never thought she would need to relearn how to walk.

On Sunday, Jan. 5, Lucy, her husband Richard Randleas and four other friends hit the slopes at Pebble Creek Ski Area.

On their fourth run, she went off of a jump near Cherry Bomb. After hitting the first jump, she saw what looked like a snow drift that formed a second jump right at the landing of the first jump.

"I tried to slow myself down, but I wasn't able to," she said.

Her feet flew straight in the air during the jump. She quickly tucked her chin to avoid hitting her head when she landed.

"As soon as I hit the ground, it was like a shock up my body," she said.

Then, she couldn't feel her legs.

They called Pebble Creek Ski Patrol and her husband took off her snowboard and used it to barricade the jump.

"From the limited amount I know, I knew we shouldn't move her, but when your wife is screaming horrifically in pain, you kind of think about things a little differently," he said.

They kept her hip and shoulders aligned and rolled her out of the way of other skiers.

Ski Patrol took her down the mountain and an ambulance took her to the Portneuf Medical Center in Pocatello.

Lucy Randleas had two fractured vertebrae and a stretched spinal cord. She quickly underwent spinal fusion surgery.

Her surgeon initially was not hopeful she would ever be able to walk again, but five days later, they are optimistic about walking someday. She can move her legs and even stand with assistance.

"My doctors were saying that the movement I have after a break like that is pretty miraculous," she said.

Although her family lives further away, she says they are going through it, too. When she was younger, her dad also had to relearn how to walk after a car accident.

"He was like, 'You have my blood, kid. You're going to walk.'"

Lucy Randleas will start doing specialized rehabilitation in Salt Lake City, which could be costly.

A GoFundMe* was launched to help pay for her medical bills and travel for rehab.

She does not want people to be afraid of snowboarding after hearing her story.

"Keep loving the sport," she said. "This isn't a normal thing. This is a one-in-a-million type of accident and I don't want to discourage anyone from learning or trying."

She is particularly grateful for the support from her colleagues at Idaho Central Credit Union.

"They've been nothing but supportive," she said. "If I didn't work there, I'm sure this would have been so much scarier."

"Lucy's spirits haven't wavered a single second," her husband said through tears. "She's been fighting as hard as she can ever since."

*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.

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Idaho
Isabella Sosa-Salazar