“Sugarloaf Mountain says an 8yrold fell approx. 20-25ft off a chairlift. The marketing director says employees stopped the lift when they saw her struggling and deployed a catch net. He says it was able to break her fall but she fell on the side of it. She was conscious and alert but experiencing back pain. He says the ambulance came but says she is being transported to the hospital via LifeFlight.”
Tense moment at at Sugarloaf Mountain in Maine where a 8-year-old girl fell 20-25 ft. off the Snubber Chairlift around 1 p.m. Wednesday afternoon. News Center Maine reports the girl was on the lift with her mom when employees noticed her struggling. Employees stopped the lift and deployed a catch net. The net was able to break her fall but said she fell on the side of it. Ski Patrol responded to the girl within minutes. She was conscious and alert but complained of back pain. Her immediate injuries did not appear life-threatening, but due to a pre-existing medical condition paramedics from NorthStar Ambulance called for a LifeFlight helicopter. The girl was taken to Farmington by ambulance and was then helicoptered to Eastern Maine Medical Center. The girl was wearing a helmet at the time of the fall. The skier and her family are from Maine, but Sugarloaf does not identify guests who are injured at the resort.
“This was obviously a scary incident for everyone involved, and our thoughts are with the family. The safety of our guests is our first priority in everything we do, and I’m incredibly thankful to our lift attendants and ski patrollers, without whose quick actions this incident could have been much worse.” Sugarloaf GM Karl Strand
An investigation into the incident by the Sugarloaf Ski Patrol is underway.
