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CNN Live At Daybreak

Autopsy Today on Girl's Death from Hockey Puck

Aired March 20, 2002 - 06:41   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: (AUDIO GAP) story all morning long. And we want to get more now on the death of that 13-year-old Ohio girl who died two days after being hit by a hockey puck at a hockey game in Columbus.

Reporter Brandi Sauers of CNN affiliate WBNS Columbus joins us live with more.

Brandi, what happened?

BRANDI SAUERS, WBNS-TV REPORTER: Well basically what happened, she was hit by a flying puck. This happened during the second period of a Blue Jackets game here at Nationwide Arena on Saturday. Initially, it looked like she was going to be OK. She stood up, the usher held a jacket to her head, but it all stemmed from Blue Jackets center Espen Knutsen's slap shot. It ricocheted off of a defending player's stick. It shot into the stands. She was sitting in section 121. It hit her in the head.

Now an autopsy is scheduled to be performed today. Right now preliminary reports suggests that it was blunt trauma to the head that she died from. Of course that's all we know right now. The family is requesting the hospital does not release any information except that her organs, though, were donated yesterday.

COSTELLO: Brandi, just so our viewers can better understand, she was sitting about 15 rows up, right, and that puck flew over the, I guess, glass partition and hit her directly?

SAUERS: That is correct. And then, from what we understand, that puck then hit a 61-year-old man from Winchester and he says it also hit a young child sitting nearby him. He suffered a wound to the back of his head. He's doing OK, though.

COSTELLO: And those pucks can travel really fast.

SAUERS: We're told they travel about 85 miles per hour. You have to realize it's the speed, not necessarily the size of the puck. And when it's traveling that fast, it's pretty hard to see.

But we should also mention that on the back of each ticket it's stated that you should be aware that there are chances that a flying puck may hit someone sitting in the stands. The announcer also says something at the beginning of the game to beware of the same thing. COSTELLO: Something else we were wondering about, we saw Brittanie get up and she walked away. Was she admitted to the hospital, because she died two days after this incident, right?

SAUERS: Yes, she was treated there at the -- actually at the arena and then she was taken to Children's Hospital, which, as you mentioned, she died two days later, Monday night at -- actually around 5:00.

COSTELLO: Was she actually admitted to the hospital?

SAUERS: From what we believe, yes.

COSTELLO: Where exactly on her head was she hit?

SAUERS: We aren't sure right now. As I mentioned, the hospital really isn't releasing too many details exactly as to what happened to her head.

COSTELLO: All right, thank you. Brandi Sauers of CNN affiliate WBNS Columbus joining us live this morning. We thank you.

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