20-year-old MSU student dies after sledding accident

CHARLEVOIX COUNTY, MI - A 20-year-old Michigan State University student died Sunday after an early-morning sledding accident at Boyne Mountain Resort.

Initial police reports indicate Sally Ottenhoff, a kinesiology junior from Grosse Pointe, and a group of friends went sledding down one of the resort's ski slopes around 2:45 a.m. Sunday, while the slope was closed.

Police believe Ottenhoff struck a building while traveling down the hill after leaving her sled. She was taken to a local hospital, where she died from her injuries, according to the Charlevoix County Sheriff's Department.

"This is a terribly tragic event, and our team is keeping this young woman, as well as her family and friends, in our hearts," Ed Grice, the president and general manager of Boyne Mountain Resort, said in a statement released by the resort.

In that statement, Boyne noted that it does not authorize the use of "any form of sledding equipment on trails intended for skiing and snowboarding, at any time."

Police continue to investigate the incident.

Contact RJ Wolcott at (517) 377-1026 or rwolcott@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @wolcottr.