A chair lift at Sugarloaf Ski Resort, located in Maine, derailed causing eight people to fall to the ground and suffer serious injuries. The chair lift, Spillway East, was 35 years old and scheduled for maintenance improvements, according to The Virginian-Pilot.
Some of the injured individuals were children. Five chairs fell in all. Fortunately, the snow softened the landing for the victims, but injuries still occurred.
High winds were prevalent the day of the accident and Sugarloaf employees even delayed using the chair lift due to the wind, which was clocked at 50 mph in some areas, according to businessinsider.com. An important question Sugarloaf management will need to answer is why they decided to use the chair lift at all, given the dangers associated with high winds on a snow-covered mountain.
Individuals injured in the chair lift accident should consider speaking with an injury attorney. Sugarloaf needs to prove a detailed explanation as to why they decided to use the chair lift in such dangerous conditions and why they would use a chair lift that was over three decades old and scheduled for mechanical work.
PA