Benefit set to help woman injured in snowboarding crash

SANDPOINT — A fundraiser will be held next month for a lifelong resident who suffered a serious neck injury in a fall on Schweitzer Mountain.

Darcie Chanel Howard fractured seven cervical vertebrae and sustained muscle injuries to her chest in the March 10 fall, said her mother, Carol Hancock.

The fundraiser, which features a silent auction, is set for Friday, April 17, at Perky Mama & Vinnie’s wine bar on Cedar Street. The event is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m.

Hancock said Howard was making her last run of the day in Schweitzer Mountain Resort’s south bowl when she hooked the heel-side edge of her snowboard and crashed.

Howard managed to ride down to the village, unaware of the full extent of her injuries.

Despite breaking her neck in the fall, Howard escaped paralysis, a fact which doctors regarded with amazement, said Hancock. She recently underwent surgery at Kootenai Medical Center in Coeur d’Alene.

“The prognosis is good,” Hancock said.

However, the uninsured, single mother of two is racking up tens of thousands in medical expenses. Hancock said her daughter had been holding down three jobs to make ends meet and will be unable to work while she recuperates.

“Her medical bills are already coming in,” Hancock said.

Howard will be undergoing physical therapy for the next four to six months.

Howard, 37, has two young sons, one of whom is diabetic. She was working at the Headlines salon and the Bangkok Cuisine restaurant. She also worked at Kinder Kamp, the children’s ski camp at Schweitzer.

How you can help

A benefit account to help defray Darcie Howard’s medical expenses has been established at Horizon Credit Union in Sandpoint in the names of Carol and Dave Hancock. A fundraiser is set for Friday, April 17 at Perky Mama & Vinnie’s.