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Light Rain Fog/Mist Baldwin man dies following skiing accident
A Baldwin man died Saturday following a skiing accident in Vermont, according to the Associated Press.
Jason Vitale, 48, was skiing at Vermont’s Killington Mountain Resort when he lost control and collided with a tree at high speed, Vermont State police said. He was not wearing a helmet. Vitale went into cardiac arrest while being transferred to an area hospital, where he later died.
Vitale was active in the community for many years, and served as the quality-of-life chair for the Baldwin Civic Association.
He was a science teacher at Mepham High School in Bellmore. Administrators from the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District spoke out in the wake of Vitale’s untimely death. In an email to the Mepham community, Principal Eric Gomez said the school was providing grief counseling to students and families at Mepham on Monday morning.
“We will continue to provide one another with support, and extend our deepest condolences to the Vitale family during this difficult time,” Gomez said in a statement. “Mr. Vitale cared about his students, and will be missed deeply.”
District Superintendent John DeTommaso said Vitale was “a well-respected science teacher,” and would be missed by the entire Bellmore-Merrick community.
Vitale graduated from Calhoun High School in 1989, and began working for the district in 2000. Jan. 26, 2020, would have marked his 20th anniversary at Mepham.
The Associated Press also reported that Vitale’s accident happened the same day a power outage temporarily shut down lifts at the resort. Some skiers and riders spent more than an hour on a gondola lift before it was brought back online.
The Herald will update this story as more information becomes available.
