Lindsey Vonn's skis didn't come off during Olympic crash and a different binding system isn't close

CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) — The images of Lindsey Vonn down on the snow, screaming in pain and then being airlifted off the course by helicopter after her crash at the Olympics were a stark reminder of the dangers of the downhill. Vonn’s boots remained locked into her skis even after her pinwheeling fall at the Milan Cortina Games, pointing awkwardly in different directions as she slid to a stop in obvious agony. It is impossible to know whether Vonn would have suffered a less serious injury — her complex tibia fracture has already required multiple surgeries — had her skis been released.

By ANDREW DAMPF and PAT GRAHAM