A 63-year-old woman, identified as Maria Luisa Jimenez of Costa Rica, tragically lost her life after a fall at SteelStacks Ice Rink in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, as confirmed by the Lehigh County Coroner's Office. The incident, which resulted in a fatal head injury, occurred shortly before 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, according to PennLive. Jimenez was taken to St. Luke’s University Hospital in Fountain Hill, where she was pronounced dead at 1:33 a.m. on Monday.
Lehigh County Coroner Daniel A. Buglio stated that Jimenez died due to a closed head injury from the fall, and the death was ruled accidental. ArtsQuest, the non-profit organization that runs the venue, expressed their condolences through a spokeswoman, Jenn LoConte, who said "We are devastated that this incident occurred, and our hearts go out to Ms. Jimenez’s family, friends and loved ones," as relayed in a statement by NBC Philadelphia.
Despite the mourning over the accident, it's imperative to note the inherent risks involved in ice skating were communicated to patrons as each guest of SteelStacks Ice Rink is required to receive a wristband after being informed of the dangers after reading information about the potential hazards, which can result in serious personal injury or death, the rink, a popular winter activity hosted by ArtsQuest for the past few seasons, was set to remain open until January 5, as per PennLive.
