$3.6 Million Lawsuit Filed After Skier Sustains Injuries From Chairlift Fall
On Jan. 15, 2023, 65-year-old skier Paul Richmond experienced a dangerous fall from a chairlift at Willamette Pass ski resort in Crescent Lake, Oregon.
According to The Oregonian, Richmond claims that the Peak 2 chairlift he and his 10-year-old grandson boarded lacked a safety restraint bar. It was reported that the chairlift was swinging side to side, calling for a dangerous situation.
The pair tried to hold onto the armrests, but Richmond was 'flung' off and had no choice but to hang on to the bottom of the chair. Moments passed, but Richmond was unable to continue holding on. Consequently, he fell 25 to 40 feet to the ground.
Richmond miraculously survived the fall, though he received compression and burst fractures to four vertebrae, in addition to numerous soft-tissue injuries. He underwent emergency surgeries for his back and hernia repair.
His recovery was incredibly costly, racking up over $330,00 in medical bills with potentially $250,000 more coming in the foreseeable future.
The lawsuit, as explained by The Oregonian, describes Richmond as a well-versed skier.
"Despite having only one leg due to a childhood amputation, Mr. Richmond was an experienced skier and enjoyed an active lifestyle."
The lawsuit is against the owners and operators of Willamette Pass ski resort, Mountain Capital Partners in Colorado, Oregon Skyway and Willamette Pass Holdings, and Willamette Pass Ski Patrol.
Willamette Pass ski resort has been in operation for decades since being established in 1941. The resort's website states that there are 555 acres among the 29 trails and has a summit elevation of 6,683 feet with 1,563-foot vertical rise.
Regardless of location, chairlift accidents are not unheard of. In December 2024, a Colorado skier fell 47 feet to the ground after slipping off a chairlift at Keystone Ski Resort. The 32-year-old snowboarder survived, but required treatment from a nearby hospital.
To mitigate as much risk as possible while riding chairlifts, the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) provides a "Lift Safety" sheet, along with informational videos, directly on their website.