Vail Ski Lift Being Investigated After Man Dies from “Positional Asphyxia”
46-year-old New Jersey resident, Jason Varnish, is dead after falling from Vail's Blue Sky Basin ski chairlift, now his death is being investigated.
After Varnish fell through the chairlift opening his coat became caught around his head and neck. The Eagle County Coroner revealed that the man died of positional asphyxia.
Reports indicate that chair 37 was left in the upright position, the emergency stop button was not pushed, and the man fell through after sitting down.
"They should’ve just hit the stop button, there’s an emergency stop and there’s a slow stop and if they’re doing their job they could hit the slow stop before the guests are loading." - Joseph Bloch, an attorney, told The Denver Channel
Vail Mountain is conducting a full investigation.
Source: The Denver Channel