NEWS

UC student killed in ski accident

Kate Murphy
kmurphy@enquirer.com
Natalie Altieri, a student at University of Cincinnati, was killed in a ski accident in California on Sunday.

Audrey Altieri had just spent the perfect holiday weekend visiting her younger sister Natalie in Los Angeles.

The 23-year-old had never been to California and she hadn’t seen Natalie, a University of Cincinnati student, since she moved there for her fashion design internship at BCBG Max Azria.

The walks on the beach, trip to the Hollywood sign, dinners with new friends in the city and a home-cooked Thanksgiving meal didn’t disappoint.

“It was all just very special,” Audrey said.

Natalie dropped Audrey and her boyfriend off at the airport Sunday morning and the two sisters said their “good-byes” and “I love yous.”

Audrey stepped off the plane in Ohio, to find her whole world had changed.

“Instantly I could tell something was wrong,” Audrey said of seeing her parents outside baggage claim.

Her parents told her Natalie had been killed in a ski accident earlier that day.

“It was just shock,” Audrey said.

“She was my best friend. Looking at pictures of her I just can’t believe that I’m never going to see her smile again.”

Natalie, a 21-year-old from Canton, Ohio, was skiing with two friends at the Bear Mountain ski resort in Southern California.

Natalie was a recreational skier and hadn’t been in a while, but she was excited to get her feet wet again.

“She was ready to get back on the slopes,” Audrey said.

Around 10:30 a.m. Natalie was skiing well on the lower level slopes, but when her friends ventured to the moguls and jumps, she stayed back knowing she should take it easy.

One of Natalie’s friends who was on the trip said she had a big smile on her face before heading off. She went up the ski lift for a solo ride down the mountain and that was the last time her friends saw her.

Natalie collided with a metal stairway railing near the end of her run on Bear Mountain.

There were no witnesses to the accident. Her friends found her once they got to the bottom of the mountain.

Medical personnel responded to the scene immediately and performed CPR to revive Natalie, but they weren’t able to find a pulse.

She was transported to Big Bear Community hospital, where the San Bernardino County coroner's office pronounced her dead from injuries suffered in the collision just before 11:30 a.m.

The coroner’s office will be performing an autopsy to determine the specifics of the injuries.

“Natalie would want everyone to not mourn her life or put their life on hold,” Audrey said. “She would want everyone to continue to embrace what they love because she truly embraced what she loved.”

She had her whole heart in Cincinnati and her fashion design program.

Natalie was a third year student studying fashion design in the Design, Architecture, Art and Planning program at UC. She was doing a co-op in Los Angeles and was scheduled to graduate from the five-year program in 2018.

"We are fortunate that she graced the halls of the University of Cincinnati," UC President Santa Ono tweeted late Sunday night.

“She just had a passion for life and she made everyone around her smile,” said Beth Altieri, Natalie’s mother.

Beth said Natalie was always trying to help anybody who needed it. As an organ donor, she will be making a positive difference even after her death.

In addition to her sister and her mother, Natalie is survived by her father Bruce and older brother Chris.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, Dec. 5 and the family will have calling hours from noon to 2 p.m. and 4-6 p.m. at Carlow Libby Funeral home in Canton.