A 10-year-old boy suffered injuries, including a broken leg, after falling 45 feet from a ski lift, Monday (March 21) in Banff National Park.
The boy was in serious, but stable, condition when transported to the Alberta Children’s Hospital in Calgary, said STARS air ambulance spokesperson Fatima Khawaja.
Lake Louise Ski Resort representatives determined the restraining bar on the Glacier chair lift wasn’t properly lowered across the skiers’ waists – commonly controlled by skiers using the lift.
Dan Markham, Lake Louise Ski Resort’s director, brand and communications, said even had the restraining bar not been across the waists of the skiers, it’s a “rare occurrence” to fall off a chair lift.
“(The restraining bar) can’t be put down by anyone else, and there’s not only a bar across, but also a foot bar – (lowering the restraining bar is) one of the first things you’re taught,” said Markham.
Markham added there were multiple people on the chair lift with the boy.
STARS responded to the incident at 2:47 p.m. and flew directly to the resort.
