That the unloading "ramp" was "in compliance" does not sway me in the least. That joke of a structure is sketchy beyond belief.
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Silverton Mountain sued for severe injury to foot passenger on chairlift
I've been following this thread, and have changed my opinions many times. I generally think lawsuits against ski mountains are frivolous, and people need to take ownership for their own actions. However, I also try to keep an open mind, as there are always two sides to every story, and generally the media only tells one side. I'm glad to hear the comments from Silverton Mountain, cause it tells at least a little bit of the "other side".
As much as I think Silverton should have done something to make the drop smaller, or widen the ramp, as recommended. I also think there's more to the story; Did she not run off the ramp when she unloaded, like she was instructed to? Did she just stop, and therefore get hit by the chair? Why didn't she follow instructions? Was her relative that she was with able to follow the instructions? Why did one of them make it off safely and not the other? How many people each day/week/year go up this lift without skis, and how many are able to execute these unloading instructions? Which leads me to...does Silverton they actually sell tickets for "sightseeing". I didn't see it anywhere on their website (although the policy may have changed since this accident), and it, flat out, seems odd.They are known for being a backcountry-rustic-no frills-extreme terrain, ski mountain..."sightseeing" doesn't exactly fit their persona.
I also think that the photo in the article might be a little misleading. I've never been there, so not speaking first hand, and I don't doubt it's a little sketchy (but there are many lifts out there that are). This side photo makes it look a lot less steep than the direct shot of the ramp...
I believe her daughter was on a snowboard, no?
I hadn't heard that...but that's not to say it's not true.
I imagine it depends on how much snow there is. I found one of my photos, from December 2010.
Don't know when the previous photo was taken, but the ramp is way more covered. The incident happened in March 2016, right? I think it had been quite dry down there for a while that spring. I know that was the week that winter returned up here, it snowed like mad at Winter Park. But ugh before that. I had been to Silverton at the end of Feb/March 2016, in fact, "on the way" to Taos, and didn't bother skiing. I do remember that.
edit: Yeah, it wasn't so great that year
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Ok ... in reviewing the article:
In a court complaint, Goehrig’s attorneys said she was ordered to “run” to the left on the ramp that was covered with ice and snow, and that lift personnel did not stop the lift after she disembarked.
The Boulder attorneys also accuse Silverton Mountain of not heeding a 2002 Colorado Passenger Tram Safety Board order, which directed Silverton Mountain to maintain a large bank of snow by the side of the lift offload.
The court documents include the Tram Safety Board order from 2002, which says, “install rails or snow ramps on the sides of the unloading ramp to reduce the risk of injury to passengers that fail to unload properly.”
Just a guess, but I wouldn't be surprised if she ran left immediately after getting off the lift, not at the bottom of the ramp. And no, there is no large bank of snow sitting there.
In a court complaint, Goehrig’s attorneys said she was ordered to “run” to the left on the ramp that was covered with ice and snow, and that lift personnel did not stop the lift after she disembarked.
The Boulder attorneys also accuse Silverton Mountain of not heeding a 2002 Colorado Passenger Tram Safety Board order, which directed Silverton Mountain to maintain a large bank of snow by the side of the lift offload.
The court documents include the Tram Safety Board order from 2002, which says, “install rails or snow ramps on the sides of the unloading ramp to reduce the risk of injury to passengers that fail to unload properly.”
Just a guess, but I wouldn't be surprised if she ran left immediately after getting off the lift, not at the bottom of the ramp. And no, there is no large bank of snow sitting there.
The article also said that "As Goehrig was getting off the chairlift, the chair knocked her off the platform and caused her to fall 10 feet head first onto rocks."
This would lead me to believe she didn’t move out of the way of the chair quick enough, causing the fall. The lift attendant may not have slowed the lift until she was already at the unload area...which IMO, would be a misoperation on Silverton’s part. Or she just didn’t follow instructions and didn’t move out of the way, which IMO, would be her fault.
Not that easy to move out of the way on that small platform when you're facing an icy slanted exit without skis on. It's not like that platform has a lot of extra room. Maybe she should have been told to stand up and immediately side step to the left. Then run when it's safe. I'm sure I'd have hesitated if confronted with that ramp.
I agree, I wonder too. And I think that that number will either be used by the plaintiff or the defendant depending on what it is.
This makes it sound like the only reason she was able to be a foot passenger was because her daughter worked (works?) at the mountain, which makes me think they have foot passengers almost never.
As a former lift operator, regularly getting off of a moving lift was part of my job, it’s much easier to “run” down the ramp rather than stepping to the side of the lift. You’re much more likely to get flung by the chair if you try to step to the side of it.
I'm kind of torn. On the one hand, as a former Provincial Officer (with the MOECC), I have little sympathy for an organization that ignores an order. On the other hand I would hate not to be allowed to ride that lift as a foot passenger because the resort was afraid of it's fear of liability.
That's right, I remember that now.
But ... seriously, running down that ramp on foot? I don't care if it was "her fault," it should never have been allowed. I've been knocked a time or two by a chair on an easy ramp while I'm on skis, moving fairly quickly. I am an experienced skier and normally keep my hand on the seat of a fixed grip that I know is "chasing" me, so that it doesn't clip me.
It's been a long time since I have rode a lift with an elevated platform. They used to be quite common, at least in the PNW, but you don't see them much anymore.
I am not generally in favor of a lot lawsuits since I used to work in general aviation manufacturing as an engineer and saw what happened there (I was never personally involved.) That said and given that we don't know all the facts (and likely never will), it appears Silverton is in trouble. I hope Silverton has good insurance coverage. If so, the case will likely settle and we will never know the terms or full story.
I am not generally in favor of a lot lawsuits since I used to work in general aviation manufacturing as an engineer and saw what happened there (I was never personally involved.) That said and given that we don't know all the facts (and likely never will), it appears Silverton is in trouble. I hope Silverton has good insurance coverage. If so, the case will likely settle and we will never know the terms or full story.
This is what I keep coming back to as well. And if it wasn’t a normal thing they do (allow foot passengers), then they made a really stupid mistake allowing it this time.
Yeah..I mean, it's a combination of many things that cause a disaster. I once criticized someone because they were running a race track on a motorcycle track day with a pick-up parked 6" off the pavement on the front straight. Like, nothing may happen...but..if it does..and why are they so closed to criticism? Inferiority complex I suppose..or insecurity. Nothing did happen..but they did move the truck away after a little while, whether because I said it was dumb or someone else did, dunno. Like, life is risky, right? But there are certain times where you have to go, this ain't good.
I don't think you really would want to ride that lift as a foot passenger, though. It's sketchy enough on skis.
"A tentative court date is set for September 2018 in San Juan County, but Klein said they are trying to move the trial outside of the county to get a larger jury pool other than the small mountain town of about 600 people."
https://durangoherald.com/articles/197279
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