Chicago Ski Accident Attorneys - Article

Ski Lift Accidents

With snow already covering many of the country’s ski resorts and mountains, many people are eagerly anticipating the official start of the 2008 – 2009 ski season. Passes have been purchased, bindings checked, and ski houses rented or reservations made.

The resorts should be busy checking over all of the machinery that makes a ski weekend safe and fun. While the technology behind gondolas and ski lifts is not new, these crucial pieces of machinery can still malfunction and cause serious injuries or even death.

Ski lifts, gondolas, and trams are relatively simple devices with established technology and a high degree of safety. Given the large number of skiers that use the lifts at a resort annually, it is not surprising that after a significant number of repetitive cycles, design defects may catch up with technology.

The issue of liability in ski lift cases generally concern who is responsible. If the injury occurs after loading and before unloading, the injury is typically the fault of either the ski area operator for poor maintenance or an engineering, design, or manufacturing firm for a defect.

There are other injuries possible when a ski area decides to open the lifts when the wind is really much too strong for the lift. When this occurs, a lift or gondola can be blown of track and possibly fall. This can result in significant injury to those who are on the lift.

Over 90% of all lift cases occur while the skier or snowboarder is either getting on or getting off the ski lift. These injuries are a consequence of either skier error or improper operation rather than a design defect. Here, the liability question is typically settled by balancing the operator’s duty to exercise the highest degree of care against the passenger’s duty to pay attention, to have the skills to board the list, and to heed all posted information and instructions.

Unloading accidents are commonly the result of an operator’s negligence. They are caused by an inadequate ramp and poor snow maintenance and or the failure to stop the lift to allow inexperienced skiers to exit safely.

Contact a Chicago Ski Accident Attorney

If you have been injured in a ski lift accident, contact the Chicago ski accident attorneys of Friedman & Bonebrake at 312-466-8200 today.