5 people taken to hospital after chairlift 'incident' at Lake Tahoe-area resort
Updated: 9:33 AM CST Dec 24, 2024
I鈥橫 GULSTAN DART AND I鈥橫 ANDREA FLORES. THIS HAPPENED AROUND 10:00 THIS MORNING ON THE COMET LIFT AT HEAVENLY SKI RESORT. THAT鈥橲 WHERE KCRA 3鈥橲 CECIL HANNIBAL JOINS US LIVE RIGHT NOW. SO, CECIL, WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED? YEAH, GUYS, RIGHT NOW WE鈥橰E HERE ON THE CALIFORNIA SIDE. THIS HAPPENED ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN, ON THE NEVADA SIDE OF THIS RESORT. WHAT WE KNOW RIGHT NOW IS THAT FIVE PEOPLE WERE TAKEN TO A HOSPITAL IN RENO. AFTER WHAT THE TAHOE DOUGLAS FIRE TELLS US WAS THEY FELL FROM THIS LIFT. NOW WHAT? WE鈥橰E ALSO LEARNING TONIGHT FROM SOMEONE WHO WAS THERE, WHO WAS ON THE LIFT ABOUT TEN MINUTES AGO. THEY SAID WHAT THEY鈥橰E HEARING IS THAT, AGAIN, THAT THE CHAIR WAS SLIDING, SLID BACK, WAS SLIDING BACKWARDS. AND THAT鈥橲 WHAT LED UP TO THIS INCIDENT. NOW I WANT TO SHOW YOU THIS PHOTO. IF YOU CAN PULL THAT UP FOR US. TAKE A LOOK AT THIS PHOTO. THIS IS THE MOMENT WHERE SOMEONE, A VIEWER, SENT THIS TO KCRA THAT SHOWS WHAT APPEARS TO BE THOSE TWO CHAIRS ON THE COMET EXPRESS LIFT COLLIDING INTO EACH OTHER. NOW WE KNOW THIS LIFT WAS SHUT DOWN FOR THE REST OF THE DAY. THIS INCIDENT HAPPENED THIS MORNING AROUND 10 A.M., AND IN THE OTHER PHOTO THAT WAS SENT INTO US, IT APPEARS YOU KNOW SOMEONE WAS TRAPPED IN BETWEEN THOSE TWO CHAIRS. THE OTHER SHOWS THAT WERE ON THE GROUND FROM SKI PATROL. WE ALSO AGAIN HEARD FROM THAT PERSON WHO WAS ON THAT LIFT TEN MINUTES BEFORE THIS HAPPENED. A TERRIFYING SITUATION FOR SKIERS OUT HERE TODAY. LISTEN TO WHAT THEY HAD TO SAY. AND AS WE WERE GETTING UP IN THE AIR, WE COULD SEE ABOUT 15, QUITE A FEW EMT OR ALL THE MEDICS THAT WERE THERE SURROUNDING SOMEONE. AND MY HUSBAND DID NOTICE THE BACKPACK HANGING FROM THE THE CHAIR LIFT. WE WERE JUST ON THAT. SO THANKFULLY THAT WASN鈥橳 US. SO. AND I SAID OUT LOUD, I鈥橫 LIKE, I CAN鈥橳 EVEN THINK ABOUT THAT BECAUSE THAT鈥橪L MAKE ME NOT WANT TO SKI ANYMORE. YOU KNOW, SHE ALSO SAID, YOU KNOW, YOU IMAGINE THIS HAPPENING, RIGHT? TWO DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS. SO RIGHT NOW WE KNOW FIVE PEOPLE AGAIN ARE IN THE HOSPITAL OR WERE IN THE HOSPITAL FOR AFTER FALLING FROM ONE OF THESE SKI LIFTS HERE AT THIS RESORT. NOW WHAT? WE DON鈥橳 KNOW WHAT WE鈥橰E WORKING TO FIND OUT. WE鈥橰E TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THE EXTENT OF THEIR INJURIES, HOW SERIOUS THESE INJURIES WERE. WE ALSO ARE WORKING TO FIND OUT, YOU KNOW, HOW OLD THEY WERE, THEIR GENDER. MORE DETAILS. BUT RIGHT NOW, WE鈥橰E STILL WORKING TO GET MORE INFORMATION. WE HAVE REACHED OUT TO THE RESORT. I鈥橫 GOING TO READ THAT STATEMENT THAT THEY DID GIVE US TODAY. THEY SAID THE SAFETY OF OUR GUESTS IS OUR TOP PRIORITY, AND THE RESORT IS INVESTIGATING THIS INCIDENT. AGAIN, RIGHT NOW THEY鈥橰E INVESTIGATING. WE DON鈥橳 KNOW HOW OR WHY THIS HAPPENED, BUT WHAT WE DO KNOW IS THAT TWO DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS, FIVE PEOPLE WERE HURT RIGHT HERE IN SOUTH LAKE TAHOE. FO
5 people taken to hospital after chairlift 'incident' at Lake Tahoe-area resort
Updated: 9:33 AM CST Dec 24, 2024
Five people were taken to the hospital after an "incident" involving a chairlift at a Lake Taho-area resort on Monday, officials said.Heavenly Mountain Resort said the incident happened on its Comet Express chairlift. A spokesperson with the Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District said crews transported the five people to Renown Hospital in Reno just after 10 a.m. The extent of their injuries is unknown.Their ages and genders are also not known.Sister station KCRA is working to confirm details of what happened on the chairlift.Photos shared with KCRA showed that one chair appeared to have collided with another. Heidi Schmitt was visiting the ski resort from Hawaii. She was on the chairlift about 10 minutes before the incident occurred."As we were getting up in the air we could see about 15, quite a few EMTs or all the red medics that were there surrounding someone," Schmitt said. "It鈥檚 a scary thought considering we are here on vacation. It鈥檚 Christmas week."鈥淭he safety of our guests is our top priority and the resort is investigating the incident," Heavenly said in a statement.
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — Five people were taken to the hospital after an "incident" involving a chairlift at a Lake Taho-area resort on Monday, officials said.
Heavenly Mountain Resort said the incident happened on its Comet Express chairlift.
A spokesperson with the Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District said crews transported the five people to Renown Hospital in Reno just after 10 a.m. The extent of their injuries is unknown.
Their ages and genders are also not known.
Sister station KCRA is working to confirm details of what happened on the chairlift.
Photos shared with KCRA showed that one chair appeared to have collided with another.
Heidi Schmitt was visiting the ski resort from Hawaii. She was on the chairlift about 10 minutes before the incident occurred.
"As we were getting up in the air we could see about 15, quite a few EMTs or all the red medics that were there surrounding someone," Schmitt said. "It鈥檚 a scary thought considering we are here on vacation. It鈥檚 Christmas week."
鈥淭he safety of our guests is our top priority and the resort is investigating the incident," Heavenly said in a statement.