24 year old Navy Sgt died after being injured in a skiing accident at a popular Colorado resort while visiting family for the holidays.
Jessie Mello, 24, was skiing at Powderhorn Mountain on Dec. 24 when she suffered a severe head injury and broken bones, the Mesa County Coroner and the resort confirmed to Fox News Digital.
Officials said the Marine was on a mid-level trail when the crash happened on Christmas Eve.
Her father, Eric Mello, said Colorado sun as eyewitnesses reported that she hit a piece of ice and collided with a tree. He said she was wearing a helmet at the time of the accident.
A TEENAGER DIED ON A SKI SKI NEAR A CLASSY MOUNTAIN TOWN
Jessie Mello, a 24-year-old Marine from Grand Junction, died earlier this month after a skiing accident at Powderhorn Resort in Mesa, Colorado. (Eric Mello/Facebook)
After the accident, the ski patrol responded and she was transferred to St. Mary’s in Grand Junction, Colorado — approximately 40 miles from the resort — and located in intensive care.
A STUDENT ATHLETE DIED IN A TRAGIC ACCIDENT ON THE DIFFICULT TRACK AT THE SKI AREA
The Mesa County Coroner said Mello remained hospitalized for several days but died Jan. 5 from head injuries.
“My little girl went peacefully into the arms of Jesus tonight,” her father Eric wrote in a Facebook post.
She died of head injuries at a hospital on Jan. 5, according to the Mesa County Coroner’s Office. (Eric Mello/Facebook)
The funeral was held for Mella in Messiah Lutheran Church January 10.
Jessie Mello remembered the family as hardworking and full of “character”. (Eric Mello/Facebook)
She was remembered as “a woman of incredible talent, character and love”.
“She made you want to be the best you could be, no matter what. Her mere presence brought people together and allowed others to find the strength that made them unique. She would celebrate your victories and eradicate your failures,” her family wrote in her obituary. “Excellence was not a lofty goal for Jessie; it was the standard.”
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“Jessie is leaving a loving family who will cherish her memory and carry her light forward,” her family wrote. She is survived by her parents, Eric and Jennifer Mello, and two brothers, Bo and William Mello.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the US Marines for comment.
