A winter day on the slopes in Colorado turned into a nightmare for a young family when a mother of six suffered a catastrophic spinal injury in what relatives describe as a freak snowboarding fall. The woman, Sandra Prokofi, is now paralyzed from the neck down and on life support, her future uncertain and her children suddenly facing a reality that looks nothing like the one they knew a few weeks ago. Loved ones say the “super mom” who was always first to show up for others is now the one who needs a village around her.
Her story has rippled far beyond the mountain where she crashed, partly because it hits on a fear many people quietly carry about outdoor sports, and partly because of who Sandra is: an experienced rider, a devoted parent, and someone who did everything “right” until one bad landing changed everything. As her family rallies around her hospital bed and the community scrambles to help, her case is forcing a hard look at how fragile even the most ordinary day on the hill can be.
The Day Everything Went Sideways
By all accounts, the day of the accident started out like a typical Colorado winter outing, with Sandra heading up to Keystone Resort to snowboard with three of her oldest sons. Friends say she was comfortable on a board and familiar with the terrain, which makes what happened next feel even more random and cruel. At some point on the mountain, it was just her on the run, and a single awkward landing sent her crashing in a way that severed her spine and left her unable to move.
Family members later described it as a “freak accident,” the kind of fall that could have been minor on another day but instead caused catastrophic damage to her neck and upper spine. According to relatives, Sandra broke her neck while riding at Keystone Resort, suffering fractures to her C2, C3 and C4 vertebrae that left her paralyzed from the neck down. Summit County Sheriff’s deputies later confirmed they responded to the incident on the mountain and visited the site where she went down, underscoring that this was not a high-speed collision with another rider but a solitary fall that went horribly wrong.
Who Sandra Was Before the Crash
Before the accident, Sandra Prokofi’s life looked like a busy, joyful blur of school runs, sports practices and mountain adventures. Friends describe her as the quintessential Colorado mom, someone who juggled six kids, a love of the outdoors and a deep commitment to her community without ever seeming to slow down. She lived in Castle Rock and embraced the state’s lifestyle, taking her children up to the high country to snowboard and enjoy the snow that draws so many families to the Rockies.
Relatives say Sandra was not a novice on the slopes but an experienced snowboarder who knew how to handle herself in winter conditions. In a short video tribute, loved ones call her “literally a super mom,” the kind of parent who would load up the car with gear, snacks and kids and still find the energy to carve turns with them on the hill. That image of Sandra as a strong, capable rider is part of what makes the footage and recollections shared in a Colorado segment so haunting, because it underlines how even seasoned locals are not immune to a split-second twist of bad luck.
A Family of Eight Turned Upside Down
At the center of this story is a family that went from everyday chaos to crisis mode in a matter of hours. Sandra is the mother of six young children, and relatives say she has long been the anchor who keeps schedules straight, emotions steady and holidays running smoothly. Her partner, Robert, suddenly found himself racing to the hospital after getting word that something had gone terribly wrong on the mountain, only to learn that the woman who usually held everyone else together was now fighting for her life.
In interviews, family members have described Sandra as the one who always showed up when others were in trouble, whether that meant watching someone’s kids, dropping off meals or sitting through long nights in emergency rooms. One relative recalled how, “When my baby had sepsis last year, she was the first one there,” a memory shared as they now sit by her bed with the roles reversed. That deep well of generosity is part of why her loved ones have taken to calling her a “super mom,” a phrase that appears again and again in accounts of the Family now clinging to hope around her hospital room.
Inside the “Freak” Nature of the Fall
What makes Sandra’s case so unsettling for other riders is how ordinary the setup sounds. There was no mention of a crowded run, no out-of-control skier barreling into her, no avalanche or tree well. Relatives say “it was just her, and it was just a freak accident the way that she landed,” a description that has stuck because it captures how random the injury feels. One moment she was riding, the next she was lying in the snow with a broken neck and no feeling below it.
Medical details shared by the family paint a stark picture of what that landing did to her body. The impact crushed critical vertebrae in her neck, leaving her paralyzed from the neck down and dependent on machines to breathe. A report on the crash notes that the damage to her C2, C3 and C4 vertebrae was so severe that she was placed on life support almost immediately after arriving at the hospital. Those specifics, laid out in coverage of the neck injury, underline how a single misstep on a familiar run can cross the line from routine wipeout to life-altering trauma.
From Keystone to the ICU
Once ski patrol and first responders reached Sandra on the slope, the priority shifted from the mountain to the nearest trauma center. She was transported off the hill and rushed into emergency care, where doctors quickly realized the extent of the damage to her spine. Her partner, Robert, has described the blur of that day, from the first phone call to the moment he arrived at the hospital and learned that she was on a ventilator and unable to move anything below her neck.
Hospital staff placed Sandra on life support to stabilize her breathing and protect what remained of her spinal cord function. Reports describe her as being in critical condition, with her family keeping vigil at her bedside and trying to process what long term care might look like for a mother of six who is now completely dependent on others for even the smallest tasks. In one account, relatives talk about Rushing to the hospital and being told that Sandra had suffered a catastrophic spinal cord injury, a phrase that has become the grim shorthand for what happened that day at Keystone.
Life Support, Paralysis and the Long Medical Road
Doctors have told the family that Sandra’s paralysis from the neck down is the result of the severe damage to her upper cervical spine, and that any recovery will be a long, uncertain process. With her C2, C3 and C4 vertebrae fractured, the nerves that control movement and breathing have been compromised, which is why she remains on a ventilator. Specialists have explained that even with surgery and intensive rehabilitation, the odds of regaining significant function after this kind of injury are slim, though they are doing everything they can to preserve what is left.
For now, the focus is on keeping her stable, preventing infections and managing the complications that come with being immobilized in an intensive care unit. Family members have spoken about the emotional whiplash of seeing someone so active suddenly surrounded by machines, tubes and monitors. Coverage of the case notes that Sandra is on life support and that the accident left her paralyzed from the neck down, details that have been repeated in multiple reports about the Sandra Prokofi tragedy. For her six children, those clinical phrases translate into a new reality where their mom cannot hug them back or walk through the front door.
Community Fundraisers and a Financial Freefall
Alongside the medical crisis, there is a financial one unfolding in real time. A family that relied on Sandra’s daily labor and income is now staring down months or years of hospital bills, rehabilitation costs and home modifications, all while trying to keep six kids clothed, fed and emotionally supported. Friends and neighbors moved quickly to set up online fundraisers, and within days donations had climbed into the tens of thousands of dollars as people across Colorado and beyond chipped in.
One campaign described how the money would go toward medical expenses, adaptive equipment and the basic costs of keeping the household afloat while Sandra remains in intensive care. A report on the fundraising effort noted that the drive had already raised nearly 80,000 dollars, a figure that reflects both the generosity of strangers and the staggering price tag attached to catastrophic spinal injuries. Another account of the crash, which identified Sandra as a mother of six from Castle Rock, highlighted how the Colorado community has rallied around the family, turning their shock into practical help.
How Loved Ones Are Coping Day to Day
Inside the hospital, the tone is a mix of heartbreak and stubborn optimism. Relatives have described long days spent in waiting rooms and at Sandra’s bedside, talking to her, playing her favorite music and trying to keep some sense of normalcy for the kids. They rotate between the ICU and home, juggling school schedules, meals and bedtime routines while also fielding calls from doctors and social workers about what comes next.
Outside those walls, friends have organized meal trains, childcare help and rides for the children, trying to fill in the gaps left by the woman who used to coordinate all of that herself. One family member said Sandra was always the first to show up when someone else was in crisis, a sentiment echoed in coverage that calls her a “super mom” who never hesitated to help. That reputation has drawn support from people who know her personally and from those who only know her story through news reports and a widely shared Keystone video segment about the accident. For the kids, the outpouring is a reminder that their mom’s kindness left a mark far beyond their own home.
More from Decluttering Mom:
