Popular doctor Terry O’Connor killed after triggering avalanche as girlfriend desperately tried to save his life

A doctor who was exploring back-country Idaho has been killed while his girlfriend desperately tried to save him underneath 1.5 metres of snow.

A dedicated doctor and skilled back-country skier was killed on an Idaho mountain in the US on Friday in an avalanche that he accidentally triggered while climbing down the mountain with his girlfriend, according to reports.

Dr Terrence “Terry” O’Connor, 48, died on Donaldson Peak, Custer County Coroner Chad Workman told the Idaho Mountain Express.

He worked as an Emergency Department physician at St. Luke’s Wood River Medical Center, which is about 240km east of Boise.

O’Connor was “downclimbing” with another experienced back-country skier when he “triggered and was caught in a small wind slab avalanche,” according to a joint report by the Sawtooth Avalanche Center and the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.

His girlfriend, also an experienced back-country skier, desperately dug him out of the 1.5 metres of packed snow, but he did not survive the accident, according to the preliminary report by Sawtooth Avalanche Center.

She managed to dig him out from 5 feet of snow, but he didn’t survive the accident.

The pair was traversing down Donaldson Peak in Idaho’s Lost River Range when the tragedy struck, officials said.

The girlfriend who has not been named, used a satellite phone to call for help, then climbed down to try to recuse O’Connor. She found him using a rescue transceiver and probe, according to the report.

Using a shovel, she managed to free him from the snow and began CPR.

“Search and rescue teams responded and evacuated Skier 1, but he did not survive the accident,” the Sawtooth Avalanche Center said.

In addition to his work in the Emergency Room, O’Connor previously directed the Blaine County Ambulance District. He had also been recognised by the Idaho Hospital Association and the South Central Public Health District for his “patient-focused” bedside manner and dedication to the community, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.

O’Connor, 48, was killed after skiing on an Idaho mountain Friday.

The pair were travelling down Donaldson Peak when the girlfriend triggered the first avalanche.

“Terry was an outstanding physician and played a pivotal role in the early days of the COVID pandemic, really demonstrating the public health role of the EMS medical director within a community. His loss will be missed not only in the valley itself but throughout the entire state and region,” the Idaho EMS Physician Commission said in a Saturday statement. “We express our condolences to his family and the Wood River Fire and EMS community.”

The tragedy comes just one day after two skiers, aged 23 and 32, were killed in an avalanche at Utah’s Lone Peak Canyon.

A third skier caught in the snowslide managed to dig himself out and is in fair condition.

At least 16 people have been killed in avalanches this past winter, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center. An average of 30 people die in snowslides each year in the US.

Avalanche safety specialists say their job has become more difficult in recent years as climate change brings extreme weather.

This article originally appeared on the New York Post and has been republished with permission