Man dies in fall from Mass Ski lift

[SnoBrdr]

SHREWSBURY, Mass. --

Authorities say a 19-year-old man has died after falling about 30 feet from a ski lift in Shrewsbury.

A spokesman for the Worcester district attorney's office said in a statement that the victim from Upton was at Ski Ward ski area with the Nipmuc Regional High School ski team.

The teen was found face down and unconscious on the icy ground at about 6:45 p.m. on Wednesday.

He was pronounced dead at a hospital.

His name was not released.

Fire officials said he was about one-third of the way up the chair lift when he fell. It appears he sustained a head injury.

The ski area's owner said there were no mechanical problems with the lift.

Witnesses say it appears the victim suffered a seizure

[Stormchaser]

Condolences... I didn't think that lift was 30' off the ground. Hell I didn't think Ward Hill had 30' of vertical... This is as small an operation as it gets; I hope this incident doesn't affect their ability to remain open.

[RustyK]

Real Bummer. Never heard of the place....

Mountain Statistics
Vertical Drop: 220 ft
Trails: 9 trails – 3 expert, 3 intermediate, 3 beginner
Lifts: 4 lifts – 1 triple chair, 1 T-bar, 1 handle tow, 1 carpet lift
Uphill Capacity: 4000 people/hr
Terrain Park: 10+ features, located on Winter’s Magic
Snowtubing Park: 8 lanes, 2 lifts

[GSKI]

Its sad that this had to happen. Although it is not in the story I wonder if it was a failure to lower the safety bar that contributed to the incident (or if there even was one). I always lower the safety bar when I am on the lift with strangers because you never know when who you are sitting next to and if they will "accidentally" shove you off or nudge you off the lift while reaching for their IPOD. Another persons seizure might even cause you to get knocked off the chair.

Perhaps we need to form an association to lobby congress to pass a law requiring the installation of automatic safety bar lowering devices. Government regulation is very important for safety reasons in many different businesses throughout our lives and although it increases costs dramatically it serves a purpose if even one death can be prevented. At the very least the inevitable lawsuits will force ski areas to be more safety conscious especially after the recent spate of falls from ski lifts. Never let a crisis go to waste.

[Stormchaser]

Its sad that this had to happen. Although it is not in the story I wonder if it was a failure to lower the safety bar that contributed to the incident (or if there even was one). I always lower the safety bar when I am on the lift with strangers because you never know when who you are sitting next to and if they will "accidentally" shove you off or nudge you off the lift while reaching for their IPOD. Another persons seizure might even cause you to get knocked off the chair.

Perhaps we need to form an association to lobby congress to pass a law requiring the installation of automatic safety bar lowering devices. Government regulation is very important for safety reasons in many different businesses throughout our lives and although it increases costs dramatically it serves a purpose if even one death can be prevented. At the very least the inevitable lawsuits will force ski areas to be more safety conscious especially after the recent spate of falls from ski lifts. Never let a crisis go to waste.

Wait until I design the mechanism first. Then you can lobby all you want!

[skifaster]

No, no more government in our lives...
You are taking a risk skiing. Read the back of your ticket.
While i feell terrible for the victim and ultimately his family. I doubt it is the operations fault...

[Stormchaser]

The fancy newer lifts we rode in Austria were automated (full bubble). The safety bar/bubble/foot rest was spring loaded and came down automatically when the chair exitted the lift station. Before you entered the station at the top, it automatically retracted... Cushy heated seats, shelf behind you for gloves and stuff...nice setup.

[Phantom]

The fancy newer lifts we rode in Austria were automated (full bubble). The safety bar/bubble/foot rest was spring loaded and came down automatically when the chair exitted the lift station. Before you entered the station at the top, it automatically retracted... Cushy heated seats, shelf behind you for gloves and stuff...nice setup.

No mini bar? WTF

[snowmore]

The local news station stated that the man appeared to suffer a seizure causing him to fall from the lift.

[Ski_the_Moguls]

Its sad that this had to happen. Although it is not in the story I wonder if it was a failure to lower the safety bar that contributed to the incident (or if there even was one). I always lower the safety bar when I am on the lift with strangers because you never know when who you are sitting next to and if they will "accidentally" shove you off or nudge you off the lift while reaching for their IPOD. Another persons seizure might even cause you to get knocked off the chair.

Perhaps we need to form an association to lobby congress to pass a law requiring the installation of automatic safety bar lowering devices. Government regulation is very important for safety reasons in many different businesses throughout our lives and although it increases costs dramatically it serves a purpose if even one death can be prevented. At the very least the inevitable lawsuits will force ski areas to be more safety conscious especially after the recent spate of falls from ski lifts. Never let a crisis go to waste.

You trolling again?

[GSKI]

Thar she blows I think I got one!

[halifax]

When I'm patrolling, sometimes I'll park below the chairlift and call out, "safety bar, please". It almost always returns attitude. Hey, if they think that they are invincible, have at it, but I don't want to have to hump up the steep upper reaches of the lift line to recover the body.