Leonardo David was in a vegetative state for six years: the rise and tragic death of the greatest Italian skiing talent

David took the ski world by storm. At the age of 16, the teenager from Gressoney-Saint-Jean in the Valle d’Aosta (It) made his debut in the European Cup and in his second season he already won the overall classification. The reward: promotion to the World Cup. And there too he is unstoppable: he finished third on his debut in the giant slalom in Schladming – behind Stenmark and the Swiss Peter Lüscher.

Three months later, on February 7, 1979, Stenmark was already at a disadvantage. The then 18-year-old David took seven hundredths of the Swedish superstar and sensationally won the Oslo slalom. “I’ve been so close to victory so many times that I knew it would come sooner or later,” says David after just his ninth World Cup race.

The young man is celebrated in his home country and the rest of the ski world. After his final victory in the European Cup, David was declared the successor to Olympic giant slalom champion (1972) and five-time world champion Gustav (72) – at least after his mega start in the World Cup. But then comes the fateful February 16, 1979.

Heavy fall at the national championship

David starts downhill during the national championships in Cortina and after about 30 seconds falls with a hard blow to his head. He will be taken to Lecco, about five hours away, and examined. At the time, only a few hospitals had computed tomography scanners that allowed for more detailed examination of the head and brain. Not in Lecco.

The doctors prescribed him rest and painkillers, but the headache did not disappear over the next few days. Not even when he starts training again. Paolo De Chiesa sees his teammate standing at the edge of the track and asks him what is going on. David’s response: “The sound of skis on ice makes my head explode.” Nevertheless, the team doctors gave him the green light for the Downhill World Cup on March 3 in Lake Placid (USA). It is his first – and must remain his last.

Shortly before the finish he falls, hits his head again and slides across the finish line. He collapses in the finish area. Coaches and teammates, including Olympic slalom champion Piero Gros, run toward him. Medical staff on scene intubated him and he was later flown to a hospital in Burlington, Vermont.

The US Army takes him home

There he immediately undergoes surgery to remove a blood clot from his brain. Speculation soon arises as to whether this was an injury caused by Cortina’s fall. The doctors cannot confirm this, but they cannot rule it out either. The Italian coach says: “He passed all the tests and there were no signs that anything could go wrong.” David is put into an artificial coma from which he is never allowed to wake up.

His condition changed little over the next month. In May, David is moved to Novara, near Milan, with the help of the American army. His parents hope for more detailed treatment by specialists there. When they get off the plane, they see Arrigo Gattai (1928-2012), then president of the Italian Ski Federation (Fisi). Father Davide, once a ski racer himself, angrily shouts at him: “Go away!”

In July he was transferred to specialists in Innsbruck and in September there were the first signs of improvement. Doctors say he can move his limbs with ease and see family and friends again.

Family wants to hold doctors responsible for death

Three years have passed and the young skiing talent is still in a kind of vegetative state. His family cares for him day and night, knowing that everything will never be the same again. As the author of David’s biography later explains, Gros and De Chiesa repeatedly visit their colleague who has had an accident. The accident has taken a great emotional toll on both of them.

On February 26, 1985, more than six years after his fall in Cortina, David died of heart failure at the age of 24. The sadness among family, teammates and the whole of Italy is enormous. His relatives are launching a legal dispute and want to hold doctors and the Italian ski association liable.

The investigation began in November 1985. The David family accuses the association of failing to adequately protect Leonardo and allowing him to start in Lake Placid despite his physical problems. Five years later, three doctors are accused of manslaughter: the doctor who examined David after his fall in Cortina, the chairman of the Fisi medical committee and the team doctor in Lake Placid. But the lawsuit is unsuccessful, the family loses and is stuck with legal costs.

Who knows what could have become of Leonardo David. Instead of records, crystal balls and World Cup and Olympic medals, a stele in the central square of Gressoney-Saint-Jean now reminds us of the skiing talent that left us too soon.