West Point Cadet Dies After Skiing Accident

WEST POINT, NY — A Class of 2019 cadet at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point died Thursday, Feb. 28 after suffering fatal injuries Feb. 23 at the West Point ski slope.

Peter Zhu, 21, of Concord, California, was found unresponsive by another skier and was flown to Westchester Medical Center, foxnews.com said.

Academy Superintendent Lt. Gen. Darryl A. Williams offered Zhu's family the profound sympathy of the academy.

"We lost a brother today, and the pain will be felt for a long time," Williams told armytimes.com.

Zhu was president of the Cadet Medical Society and was to receive a commission as a Medical Corps officer.

He was declared brain dead Feb. 27

Because Zhu was the only male in his generation, his parents filed for and received a court order to obtain Zhu's sperm to allow them to carry on the family name, the Journal News reported.

A private funeral will be held Thursday at West Point Cemetery.

Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, D-Cold Spring, offered his condolences to Zhu’s family and friends and to the entire West Point community.

"As the president of the Cadet Medical Society, Peter Zhu stood out as a leader among leaders," he said.

“The Cadets at the United States Military Academy are some of our country’s best and brightest — this is a terrible loss and I encourage everyone in the Hudson Valley to join me in saying a prayer for the Zhu family,” Maloney said.

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