Former ABC News correspondent dies in Colo. ski accident

KEYSTONE, Colo. -- John McWethy, retired ABC News correspondent, died Wednesday in a skiing accident at Keystone resort. He was 61.

Witnesses said McWethy was skiing fast on an intermediate trail when he missed a turn and slid chest-first into a tree, Coroner Joanne L. Richardson said. She said he died of blunt force chest injuries.

McWethy had moved to Boulder after he retired. Before then, he had been ABC News' chief national security correspondent.

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He had to evacuate the Pentagon after a hijacked plane crashed into the building in the 2001 terrorist attacks, but he continued reporting live from a nearby lawn, ABC News President David Westin recalled in a statement about McWethy's death.

He was awarded an honorary doctorate by his alma mater, DePauw University, and had a master's degree from Columbia University's journalism school.

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