Inside Dr. David Langer's ski accident as he returns for Emergency NYC

Dr. David Langer, MD, who serves as the chair of neurosurgery at Lenox Hill Hospital and the star of Netflix’s Emergency NYC, is a survivor of a scary ski accident that altered his life.

The spin-off of hit Netflix docuseries, Lenox Hill, and Emergency NYC, sheds light on the importance of health workers, not just limited to one hospital, but throughout New York City.

David is one of the three original stars of the new docuseries, who has his own story to share about life and a terrifying accident.

Dr. David Langer survived a scary ski accident

The majority of the show viewers aren’t aware of the fact that David was seriously injured in a ski accident in early 2022.

In an open-ed he penned for MedPage Today, the neurosurgeon has detailed the entire nerve-chilling experience and explained how it changed his perception of life forever.

He was skiing in Colorado sometime last year when he decided to explore a smooth cat track led by a 6-foot snow berm and it wasn’t too long before he regretted the decision he had made.

David said he woke up to find himself laying on his belly with his neck turned to one side and blood next to his nose.

But, when he tried to reach out to stop the bleeding, he realized he was unable to move and the physician knew immediately he had sustained a severe spinal cord injury.

“My arms were pinned behind me and wouldn’t move,” David explained.

Lenox Hill’s Neurosurgeon thought he was crippled for life

Waiting for the ski patrol, all sorts of thoughts crossed David’s mind, including him walking his children down the aisle in a wheelchair and watching his wife take their dogs on Sunday walks.

When the ski patrol arrived, he asked them to airlift him as he was aware of the injury his spinal cord had sustained.

“The thought that this might be my last time on a mountain was interrupted by shock waves of pain from the bumpy ride to the helicopter,” he explained.

However, while being airlifted, the doctor realized he was able to tap his toes together, and told himself it was an “incomplete injury.”

On arriving at a Denver hospital, David was diagnosed with central cord syndrome, which meant his spinal cord was injured only temporarily.

He was able to regain strength in his body by practicing standing and walking, but his surgery was still due.

Emergency NYC star turned to his colleagues to repair his spine

When he returned to New York, David knew he had to enlist his colleagues’ help to fix his spine.

“For me, though, it was the most natural decision to ask my colleagues to heal one of their own and they have. They had the knowledge, skills, and experience required. My emotional connection with them was a draw, not a deterrent,” David wrote.

The accident, however, instilled a sense of power in David and things that made him anxious previously weren’t bothering him anymore.

All the episodes of Emergency NYC are available to stream on Netflix.

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