According to the International Skating Union's rulebook, the referee has the authority to stop a program in a medical emergency but the wording leaves a lot at the official's discretion.
"If, in the opinion of the Referee, medical attention is required, he must stop the performance by an acoustic signal and follow the Medical Protocol (Communication 2049 or any update thereof) The Referee, after consulting with the respective Team Physician, or, if not present, the medical doctor provided by the Organiser, he will decide if the Competitor is allowed back to compete. If the Referee does not allow the skater to resume within 3 minutes since he stopped skating his program the competitor will be considered withdrawn," the rulebook reads.
Many fans have since taken to Twitter to express their outrage over the incident, some slamming the referee's lack of intervention as "ridiculous".
"Hey @ISU_Figure care to explain why Ashley Cain was allowed to continue after that fall? A skater should never be allowed to put their health at risk like that and I truly hope there are repercussions for that inaction," one user wrote.
"This is ridiculous. This skate should have been stopped immediately after that fall. Cain's head CLEARLY smacked down onto the ice and she was totally dazed for the rest of the program. These refs didn't do their job correctly. I really hope she's okay," another posted.
U.S Figure Skating have since tweeted an update from Cain who thanked her supporters and said she had been checked out of hospital to recover at home.
"Hey everyone, thank you so much for all the wishes and for checking in," Cain said. "It really means a lot to us. I got checked out at the hospital and I am going to continue my recovery back home. Thank you for all of your love and for supporting us! The medical team and staff were wonderful."
