Several people were reportedly injured at the Heavenly Mountain Resort in Lake Tahoe following a chairlift accident on Monday. According to the Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District, the incident occurred on Monday at around 10:00 a.m. local time. The fire department reportedly sent two engines and three ambulances to rescue the injured.
Following the tragic accident, Heavenly Mountain Resort spokesperson Cole Zimmerman stated:
"Heavenly Mountain Resort can confirm an incident occurred on its Comet Express chairlift today, Monday, December 23, 2024. The safety of our guests is our top priority and the resort is investigating the incident."
As per the reports, five people were injured in the accident, and they were taken to the nearby Regional Medical Center in Reno, Nevada.
Five people injured in the Heavenly Mountain Resort accident
On Monday morning, five people were reportedly injured due to the Comet Express chairlift malfunction at the Heavenly Mountain Resort. According to the reports, the chair slid backward while people were riding it, and it eventually collided with the chair behind it, causing people to fall from the chair into the snow-covered mountain. They fell approximately 30 feet, which caused severe injuries.
Ski patrol readily appeared at the scene and helped the injured people transfer to the nearby hospital. According to the eyewitnesses, four people were taken in toboggans, and one Life Flight helicopter was seen arriving at the scene. The authorities have not yet disclosed the condition of the injured people. The fire rescue department described two of the injured individuals as being in their 60s and 70s, respectively.
First started in 1988, the Comet Express is a high-speed detachable quad that attracts tourists from all over the country. It is considered one of the main high-elevation lifts on the Nevada side of the Heavenly Mountain Resort. Despite attracting so many visitors yearly, the lift has had frequent issues recently and required constant maintenance and repair. Last year, the Comet Express Chairlift faced significant problems, which forced the Heavenly Mountain Resort to shut it down temporarily during the holiday season.
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Maintenance workers are currently looking into the cause of the chairlift malfunction, and they suspect the accident occurred because of ice being piled on the cables, causing the slip and roll. Moreover, authorities suspect that the heavy wind gusts across the Sierra Nevada mountains could also be responsible for this accident. On Sunday, Heavenly Mountain Resort reported heavy wind flows at 78 mph. The Comet Express chairlift remained closed for the rest of the day, and no further details were provided.
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