Eileen Deborah Sheahan, 22, of Illinois, was killed in a skiing accident on Jan. 27.
According to Aspen Skiing Co., Sheahan hit a tree while skiing at Aspen Highlands on Jan. 27. Later, she was pronounced dead at Aspen Valley Hospital.
Coroner Steven Ayers said Monday she was wearing a helmet, but it was unclear whether she was wearing it when she crashed.
Ayers said her helmet detached from her. Our knowledge of its presence during contact is limited.
As a result of her fall into the tree, her helmet was found down Exhibition run, Ayers said.
It is taking longer for Sheahan’s autopsy to be completed because she was an organ donor, Ayers said.
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Sheahan was an Alpha Phi sorority member and was set to graduate from Michigan in the spring.
In May, she would graduate with a degree in Economics from the University of Michigan. In her obituary on Legacy.com, Eileen described how fortunate she was to have made friends at each school. “Eileen had a profound impact on those around her during her brief time on earth. Her grace, kindness, wit, beauty and brilliance made her an exceptional woman. In addition to having boundless energy, she was the consummate doer. As a family, friend, and community member, she always put others before herself. There were so many people who looked up to her, and she was a bright light wherever she went.”
According to the Sun-Times, she is survived by her mother and father, brother, aunt, and grandfather, along with her sisters Erin and Margaret and her grandmother, Nancy.
Chicago’s Old St. Patrick’s Church held a mass funeral on Monday for Sheahan.
