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By William D'Urso (contact) 
Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013 | 9:22 a.m.
Related story
- Girl dies in Mount Charleston sledding accident (01-01-2013)
The 11-year-old girl who died after a New Year’s Day sledding accident on Mount Charleston has been identified as Vanesa Lara of Las Vegas.
The Clark County Coroner’s Office released the girl’s identity Wednesday morning but had not determined her cause of death.
Nevada Highway Patrol Trooper Loy Hixson said the accident occurred shortly before 1 p.m. Tuesday in the Lee Canyon area of Mount Charleston. Lara was flown by helicopter to University Medical Center, where she later died, Hixson said.
When I was a kid many moons ago, I loved sledding. What I didn't see at that time in my young life is how much danger I was putting myself in. Back in those days, we didn't wear any head or body safety gear.
We iced down our sled course which was of a steep decline, and waxed our rails. This made the speeds we were attaining on our sleds quite high.
Our survival during these ventures was just plain pure luck. Sadly enough, this little girl did not have the same luck in her young life.
If parents are going to allow their kids to sled, then these children need to be much more than adequately "suited up" in safety gear that will repel high impact crashes.
I can remember tobaggoning with 5 of us it heading down a hill with no way to steer and seeing how close we could get to the edge of the lake with a 3 foot fall. There were no helmets and trees everywhere.
Tragic death on Mt. Charleston.
One of my kids got into a collision sledding up there once. We got him down the mountain and to a doctor fast because he was almost knocked out.
Sledding is a blast, but it is inherently dangerous and crowds make it worse, which we get up at Charleston for sledding.
My sincere condolences to the family. What a way to start the new year.
Twenty years ago it was fun to go up to Mt. Charleston in winter and go sledding. These days it is so over crowded up there that it is getting very difficult to avoid accidents.
Sledding always carries a degree of risk, but the sheer number of people up there on weekends and holidays means the risk is outweighing the fun.
Very sad!
A bike helmet? I can see that. Anything else, and you're just blowing it out of proportion. Occassionally, bad things happen.