Tara Dakides took a nasty knock to the head when she fell 25 feet to pavement while filming a stunt for the David Letterman show Thursday afternoon. Proving wrong the age-old adage that the show must go on, taping for show halted after Tara spun off the ramp on her third attempt at the jump -- CBS aired a repeat instead.

Tara was in New York to yak with Letterman about her X Games slopestyle silver and to showcase her shredding skills on scaffolding supported kicker built near the Ed Sullivan Theatre on 53rd Avenue. All was well until she sketched on a 360 and missed the landing entirely. Witnesses claim she landed on her board before falling backward and slamming her head on the concrete.

According to photographer John Johnson, who was present to shoot the stunt, Tara's first shot at the jump revealed that the takeoff platform wasn't long enough; unable to get enough speed, Dakides barely cleared the hit. After a lengthy go at extending the takeoff by packing snow on top of Astroturf, Tara hit it again, pulling an old-school shifty with air to spare. It was her third attempt when she took off, lost control of her spin, and fell two stories off the jump, which left her hospitalized.

"She looked like she didn't have her equilibrium," said Johnson, who admits he didn't have the clearest shot of the action as she veered off the opposite side of the U-shaped ramp.

The choice words Tara let fly mid-air indicated she knew she was in trouble. Security, trainers, and paramedics rushed to her side when she remained motionless after hitting the ground. Dakides was rushed to New York's Bellvue Medical Center, where she received stitches and a visit from Letterman. She was released the next day. Tara's manager, Steve Astephen, claims a sketchy setup wasn't to blame. "It was a combo of weather and it being a fluke," he said.

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Just recently back in action after a knee injury that plagued her for most of 2002, Tara hopes to be back on the snow in a month or less. According to Astephen, she's in good spirits and is excited to get back and see Dave on Monday, when she'll give being a guest on Letterman another crack.