Chairlift Company Warns Ski Resorts About Potential Lift Problems

  • Apr 09 2015
  • Gilleon Law Firm, APC

chairlift accidentWhile most personal injury cases involve car accidents, slip-and-falls or dog bites, some are also filed due to injuries caused by defective products.  injured seven skiers recently.

Partek Ski Lifts, a company in Pine Island, New York, sent a bulletin to ski resort operators who are currently using Borvig and Partek chairlifts. The notice warned them to perform safety checks and to inspect a certain electrical switch that is believed to have been responsible for a Sugarloaf lift accident. According to the National Ski Areas Association, as many as 170 lifts could be affected. This represents about five percent of the lifts nationwide.

While the warning did emphasize the need for inspections, it did not suggest that chairlifts be taken out of service. Engineers believe that there may be a design flaw in the system that prevents the lift from locking when it begins to run backwards. Panicked skiers were injured when they attempted to jump from the lift in Maine.

Partek currently provides the parts for both its own and Borvig’s lifts. The Borvig company went out of business in the 1990s.

Sporting Accidents With Defective Products

Because sporting activities often involve physical risk, there is an understanding that products made for use in sports must meet certain safety requirements. For example, football helmets should meet national standards for preventing head injuries. If a helmet does not protect against head injuries, the team using the helmet may be liable for injuries to players.

Similarly, if a ski resort continues to use a product that has been identified as defective, such as a ski lift, that resort may be liable for injuries to skiers. Liability may be established by showing that the resort knew or should have known that the lift was dangerous, even if the ski resort is normally immune to lawsuits stemming from skiing accidents.

I Have Been A Ski Accident Victim

If you have been the victim of a skiing accident, contact a personal injury attorney like Dan Gilleon in San Diego. With years of experience in handling personal injury cases, Dan Gilleon may be able to help you recover the maximum possible amount of damages in your case.


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