According to resort officials and police, a ski resort employee in Utah died Monday after being thrown from a chairlift by a falling tree onto a lift cable.
Around 11:25 a.m., according to representatives of Park City Mountain and the Summit County Sheriff, a 29-year-old resort employee fell at least 25 feet (7.6 meters) into a deep gully from the Short Cut chairlift.
Ten other people on the chairlift with him were evacuated while the Park City ski patrol sought to attend to his wounds.
The resort’s vice president and chief operating officer, Deirdra Walsh, stated, “We are all very grieved by this awful tragedy, and we will be supporting our workers as we grieve this devastating loss.”
Park City declined to release the worker’s name. In accordance with his family’s desires, the Summit County Sheriff intended to reveal the identity of the accident victim, a Millcreek resident, on Wednesday.
The man was a ski patroller who fell to the challenging terrain, Summit County Sheriff Captain Andrew Wright informed KSL-TV.
Before attempting to treat the victim, ski patrol members had to dig him out of what the deputies described as “chest-deep snow” and approach him after at least 20 minutes.
Wright added, “This wasn’t over a run,” The department’s investigation might consider factors including snow, tree health, and trees’ proximity to the lift.
Tuesday, the Short Cut chairlift remained shut down while the inquiry continued.
Park City has gotten 56 inches (1.4 meters) of snow in the past week, continuing Utah’s record snowfall.
Over the past year, lift maintenance employees and the resort have been engaged in a labor dispute over demands for more pay, safer working conditions, and increased efforts to retain skilled technicians.
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