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A tragic accident occurred at Red Lodge Mountain ski resort in Montana when 37-year-old Jeffrey Zinne fell from a chairlift experiencing mechanical problems. Zinne, a resident of Billings, was riding alone on the Triple Chair lift when he fell from an unspecified height on Monday (March 10). He was taken to a local hospital but succumbed to his injuries by Tuesday night.
The lift was immediately shut down after the incident, and ski patrol used ropes to safely lower over 100 people to the ground. Red Lodge Mountain spokesperson Troy Hawks confirmed the lift had a mechanical issue at the time of the accident. However, further details are under investigation, including weather conditions and Zinne's actions.
The National Weather Service reported wind gusts up to 50 mph in the area around the time of the accident. The Triple Chair lift, built in 1983 and spanning nearly a mile, will remain closed until an engineer conducts a thorough assessment. Hawks stated that the ski area conducts daily inspections of its chairlifts, with professional inspections annually as required by insurance and the U.S. Forest Service.
Zinne, who was snowboarding before the accident, was a business owner and family man, leaving behind a wife and a 2-year-old son. A GoFundMe page has been set up to support his family. Fatal lift accidents are rare, with only 35 deaths recorded in the U.S. since 1956, according to the National Ski Areas Association.