Retired ABC News Reporter John McWethy, 61, died on Wednesday morning after a skiing accident in Keystone, Colorado. The accident occurred at Keystone Resort where it is reported McWethy lost control and crashed into a tree. Cause of death, according to Summit County coroner, was blunt force trauma to the chest.
McWethy began his career as a print journalist in 1972, writing for U.S. News & World Report for seven years. He became the magazine’s White House correspondent in 1977.
McWethy joined ABC News in 1979. He was the network’s National Security Correspondent from 1985 until his retirement in 2003. He covered military, terrorism, diplomacy and intelligence. He was in the Pentagon when it was struck by a hijacked passenger plane, American Airlines Flight 77, during the September 11, 2001 attacks.
McWethy received several awards for his body of work, including five Emmy Awards, the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award, and an Overseas Press Club award in 1987. We was granted an honorary doctorate degree from DePauw in 2003 (see photo below). After retiring in 2003, McWethy continued to serve as a Special Correspondent for ABC News until 2006.
McWethy died on February 6, 2008. Witnesses say he was skiing fast, missed a turn, and struck a tree, suffering blunt force trauma to his chest.
He is survived by a wife and two adult children.