Gunstock investigating incident where 2 children fell from chair lift

Published Date

GILFORD — Gunstock Mountain Resort Marketing & Media Relations Director Bill Quigley said yesterday that the resort has begun an investigation into how two minor children fell from the chair lift at the Pistol Area of the mountain Tuesday night.
He said there were three people sharing one three-person lift seat — two minor children and one adult male — at the time of the accident. He said the two youths fell from the lift just after getting on.
"It was after the bottom but before Tower 1," said Quigley. He said the two fell about six to 10 feet to the snow below the lift.
He said the lift operator saw them fall and stopped the lift. Safety service assisted keeping the children warm while Gilford Fire and Rescue took the children by ambulance to Lakes Region General Hospital for what firefighters described as non life-threatening injuries.
He said the adult male stayed on the lift along with a related adult female who was in the chair in front of the two children who fell and they were able to ski back down to the children.
Quigley said it appeared the children were siblings and the two adults with them were their parents. He said the male made a statement while he was in the ambulance with the two children and the resort is conduction an investigation.
Quigley said every incident that results in an injury or a transport to the hospital by emergency crews triggers an investigation.
"We have to find out what happened to see if it can be prevented in the future," he said.