A 7-Year-Old Dangled From a Snowmass Chairlift for 20 Seconds. Now His Family Is Suing Aspen Ski Co.

A 7-year-old from an Australian family fell about 24 feet from the Alpine Springs chairlift during a January 12 visit to Aspen Snowmass, Colorado. The child suffered a broken pelvis and a concussion and was in a wheelchair for multiple weeks. The Quigley family sued Aspen Ski Co., alleging the chairlift operator and attendant were not paying attention and that the child was not securely seated. The father claimed the workers were unaware the child was dangling for more than 20 seconds while the lift continued to move. Bystanders’ shouts preceded the crew stopping the lift shortly before the fall. The incident report said the attendant was focused on loading behind the family, while the lawsuit alleged non-essential activities by the operator. Aspen Ski Co. generally denied the allegations.

"The Quigley family has now filed a lawsuit against Aspen Ski Co., claiming the chairlift operator and attendant were not paying attention when the boy "misloaded the carrier and was not securely seated." The family is suing for gross negligence and negligence per se (which establishes that a defendant is negligent if they violate a safety law or regulation)."

"Shaun Quigley, the boy's father, claims both lift workers were unaware his son was "dangling from the carrier." He claims that his son was dangling for "more than 20 seconds" and that the lift continued, despite reaching a "considerable distance and height from the boarding area." Shaun Quigley was sitting to his son's left at the time of the incident. The suit states he "desperately clung to his 7-year-old son...in an effort to keep him from plunging to the ground from a considerable height.""

"Only after shouts from bystanders did the lift crew become aware, according to the lawsuit. The chairlift was then stopped, moments before the boy "fell approximately 24 feet to the ground." According to an incident report filed by the Aspen Ski Co., the lift attendant stated he was focused on a group loading behind the Quigleys. However, the suit alleges that the lift operator was "drinking from a bottle and doing other non-essential activities like changing music inside the lift shack" at the time the Quigleys loaded."

Read at SnowBrains