Mid-Atlantic Chair falls of lift at Camelback PA

[crgildart]

I'm guessing they left everyone else hanging and evac'd them down the rope thing with wood circle instead of starting it back up to empty the rest of the chairs??

 

[Uncle-A]

I'm guessing they left everyone else hanging and evac'd them down the rope thing with wood circle instead of starting it back up to empty the rest of the chairs??

I don't you think they were going to restart the lift again. So yes that would be my hope as well.

 

[kitchener]

I'm guessing they left everyone else hanging and evac'd them down the rope thing with wood circle instead of starting it back up to empty the rest of the chairs??

I was wondering the same thing.

 

[Erik Timmerman]

I think it's a lot easier and safer to run it "ahead slow" if you can. Obviously they needed quite a bit of patrol to respon

 

[John Webb]

I've visited Camalback as I'm sure @Philpug has. Not a fav as it's often crowded or icy. Preferred Blue or Elk. People riding on the chair when this happened said they saw no horseplay. the lift stopped very suddenly and some chairs were flying around and this one possibly hit a tower. Others say the lift has a history of uneven power problems causing chairs to swing scary amounts.. But a lift investigation is underway to find the real problem. Sadly the 40 yr father, the 12 yr old son and 8 yr old daughter are hurt badly in the fall. They say they should recover ok. https://newscolony.com/father-and-2...ft-plummets-15-feet-to-the-ground-in-poconos/

 

[John Webb]

I'm guessing they left everyone else hanging and evac'd them down the rope thing with wood circle instead of starting it back up to empty the rest of the chairs??

No, actually they ran the Sullivan Chair very slow to get the rest of the riders to the top after deciding it would be safe to do so. A person 2 chairs behind the one that fell was interviewed and said he would have been on that chair had 2 groups not cut in front of him. How scary is that !

 

[johnnyvw]

Unfortunately there have been no updates as to their condition in local news. I would guess that may have something to do with an upcoming lawsuit

 

[dbostedo]

Unfortunately there have been no updates as to their condition in local news. I would guess that may have something to do with an upcoming lawsuit

Could also be that the family has asked to stay out of the media. Condition reports are subject to HIPAA, and the family or patients would need to allow the media to report it.

 

[slowrider]

Even if there is a daily preoperative inspection it's almost impossible to observe a flaw in moving mechanical parts.

 

[Dakine]

According to FAA official methodology there are no accidents.
There is:
1. Pilot error,
2. Mechanical failure,
3. Acts of God.

About 99% of all "accidents" are due to pilot error.
This often involves failed pre-flight checks.
If an engine that is inspected according to manufacturer's specifications throws a fan blade, that is a mechanical failure.
If a plane is struck by lightning out of the blue, that is an Act of God.
Otherwise, it's all pilot error.

 

[johnnyvw]

Could also be that the family has asked to stay out of the media. Condition reports are subject to HIPAA, and the family or patients would need to allow the media to report it.

And that may be at the advise of an attorney...

 

[kitchener]

Looks like there's a GoFundMe fundraiser for the family.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/camelback-ski-lift-accident

"The 12 year old son sustained an injury that required follow-up surgery and the 9 year old daughter sustained an injury requiring hospitalization. The father sustained the more serious injuries and has endured multiple surgeries."

 

[Bill Miles]

According to FAA official methodology there are no accidents.
There is:
1. Pilot error,
2. Mechanical failure,
3. Acts of God.

About 99% of all "accidents" are due to pilot error.
This often involves failed pre-flight checks.
If an engine that is inspected according to manufacturer's specifications throws a fan blade, that is a mechanical failure.
If a plane is struck by lightning out of the blue, that is an Act of God.
Otherwise, it's all pilot error.

Depending on the plane and lightning strike, it is likely to be a design or certification error, as there are requirements for modern airplanes to withstand specified lightning strikes.

 

[tball]

Depending on the plane and lightning strike, it is likely to be a design or certification error, as there are requirements for modern airplanes to withstand specified lightning strikes.

Yep. It's remarkable the abuse an aircraft can take (with a bit of luck). Here's my little story: A while back, I was on a rather exciting flight struck by lightning several times. Spirling down to 14,000 ft inside a disorganized hurricane was a terrible idea for a mission. You can't see the unpredictable weather around the corner on the radar until it's too late. The worst was when we flew right into a thunderstorm cell that was a wall of red on the radar. I thought I was dead when I heard "Oh, f***" over my headset. It was the pilot when he realized there was nowhere to go but through it. He was a former space shuttle commander. The downdraft knocked the wind out of us. It felt like the plane ran into a brick wall. Truly amazing the DC-8 didn't break in half! All good in the press release, though.

Hurricane teams probe ahead of Earl | Science Mission Directorate

NASA team studies rain intensity before landfall; NOAA team studies storm surge and wind field at landfall.

science.nasa.gov

 

[John Webb]

2 guys from my office died with others( he was a private pilot but a minister was flying) when they flew into a thunder storm
cell near Charlottsville Va. One just retired & other had 6 kids.

Now redirecting from thread drift:
I see there is a GoFundMe page for the family on the fallen chair. Should not be necessary as Camalback should pay every
cent of their medical claims. If they balk most any lawyer should win this one.

 

[zag]

I see there is a GoFundMe page for the family on the fallen chair. Should not be necessary as Camalback should pay every
cent of their medical claims. If they balk most any lawyer should win this one.

Since the chairlift failure is clearly not something that is an accepted risk of skiing I ma sure the insurance company will offer a settlement, but it will be a low ball for medical costs only with outrageous NDA conditions and no $ for the loss of income from injured parties, so in the end they will likely have to sue and maybe get some actual cash in 10 years

 

[kitchener]

Since the chairlift failure is clearly not something that is an accepted risk of skiing I ma sure the insurance company will offer a settlement, but it will be a low ball for medical costs only with outrageous NDA conditions and no $ for the loss of income from injured parties, so in the end they will likely have to sue and maybe get some actual cash in 10 years

Sounds just like their m/o these days, too.