Lindsey Vonn’s Sister Sparks Backlash With Hospital Thirst Traps

The sister of injured Olympian Lindsey Vonn found the “silver lining” to the skier’s terrifying accident: handsome Italian doctors.

Vonn, 41, crashed during the women’s Alpine skiing race at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics and was quickly rushed to Ca’ Foncello Hospital in Treviso, Italy. Her sister, 37-year-old Karin Kildow, accompanied her.

While Vonn underwent four surgeries, Kildow entertained herself with some eye candy.

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“Delete your dating apps and just go to an Italian emergency room,” Kildow wrote on a video she shared to Instagram, in which she zoomed into several male nurses and doctors working at the hospital.

She chose a fitting song to accompany the post: “This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)” by Natalie Cole.

In the caption, Kildow wrote, “I said there would be a silver lining…” adding an emoji laughing in tears.

“In all seriousness,” she continued, “shout out to all the truly kind and caring doctors and nurses who helped Lindsey.”

The video sits at over 7 million views and has been shared almost 500,000 times, and the most popular comments shared Kildow’s excitement.

“I’ve never wanted to break my leg so badly,” the top comment read.

“I’m pretty sure something hurts… I’d better go to Italy,” reads another comment.

A few people joined in to share similar personal experiences from Italian hospitals.

“Have done, can confirm. Best hospital visit of my life,” one person wrote.

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“I broke my hand in Sicily and ended up dating the guy who checked me into the ER and the physio who did my rehab,” another added.

Some commenters, however, wrote that filming people at work without their consent was “creepy” and “disrespectful.”

One commenter noted that filming and posting the hospital staff without their permission might be illegal under the Italian privacy laws. “Let’s be real,” they wrote, “If a man did this to female doctors and nurses, he would be slammed for being a sexist creep and for objectifying women at work.”

They continued, “These people are professionals saving lives, not exhibits in a beauty pageant for your followers.”

It is unclear whether Kildow received the staff’s permission to film and post the video.

One Italian user skipped the thirst-trap topic altogether, instead voicing pride in her country’s healthcare system and medical professionals.

They wrote, “This is my Country, Italy, where not only [do] we have excellent (and gorgeous) doctors but, most of all, we have a free health system where also the most poor people can be hospitalized, cured and operated anytime for their whole life completely for free. I’m so proud to be Italian and belong to this really civilized country where human rights are granted to everyone, regardless of their bank account. Italy forever🇮🇹🇮🇹❤️."

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Vonn, for her part, thanked the hospital staff over multiple posts on X and Instagram.

On February 16, the Olympian updated her X following her arrival in the U.S., writing, “Haven’t stood on my feet in over a week...been in a hospital bed immobile since my race. And although I’m not yet able to stand, being back on home soil feels amazing. Huge thank you to everyone in Italy for taking good care of me.”

On February 17, she shared a video created by Kildow on Instagram that showed her recovery process at the hospital, captioning it, “Thankful for friends, family, my team and all the medical staff that are getting me back to myself…. I’m slowly coming back to life, back to basics and the simple things in life that mean the most. Smile. Laugh. Love.”