Snow and Ice Accidents: Snow Crumble

Daily inspection doesn’t make old machinery any newer. The best technicians in the world can only do so much to keep decaying equipment functioning. And yet many businesses continue to use old technology, even in situations where malfunction could cost people their lives.

The mechanical failure of a ski lift is always news, especially when multiple people are injured, but the March 21st ski lift accident at Sugarloaf in Maine attracted additional attention because the site was set to host the US Alpine Championships just a week later. If one of the foremost ski resorts in America has crumbling infrastructure, it is probably safe to assume that many other resorts also have 27-year old ski lifts still in daily operation.

In this instance, mechanical failure caused the ski lift cars to begin to slide down the mountain. Frightened passengers leapt from the vehicle, and some suffered serious injury. This was the second incident at Sugarloaf in the last six months.

Sugarloaf isn’t alone in suffering these types of events. Ski lift accidents are frightfully common. Recent examples from just the last few months include:

• A March 2014 incident at Crystal Mountain, just north of Washington, that left two people critically injured
• A December, 2015 incident in Upstate New York which left one woman dead
• A December, 2015 incident in Oregon that left a young man with a badly broken arm

If you have been injured, or know of someone who has been injured, in a ski lift accident, it is important for you to understand just how common and preventable these incidents are. Please, contact a qualified attorney who can help you ask the necessary questions to determine whether negligence played a part in your injury.