5-Year-Old Boy Falls Off Ski Lift: Beginning Skier Falls 23-Feet Off Ski Lift Chair In Pennyslvania

A 5-year-old boy falls off a ski lift while on his way to meet others on a slope. The boy fell 23-feet from the lift chair at Spring Mountain Adventure resort in Schwenksville, Pennsylvania, around 7 p.m. on Saturday, according to a report out by CBS Local in Philadelphia.

Resort owner and president Rick Buckman says that the boy was in the beginner chair and fell exactly 22-feet, 9-inches. Buckman said the boy was conscious and well geared up when the accident happened.

“He was conscious the whole time. There was a slight cut on his face. Maybe he bumped that on the snow or hit a ski. He was wearing a helmet and there is a possible upper right leg injury.”

Someone else riding on the ski lift dialed 911, Buckman says. He says the young skier was alone in the lift chair. Ski patrol responded to the emergency and flew the boy to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia as a safety measure. His condition is unknown.

Buckman says parents “know their child’s ability and with what they’re comfortable with” when it comes to them riding alone on the lifts.

“I do understand that he was with an adult relative on the slope but the adult was not on the chair with him at the time.”

The resort owner adds that the ski lift is in good operating order, so no malfunctions occurred. He’s currently awaiting a full report from ski patrol on the incident.

NBC News 10 offers a little more on the details when it comes to the 5-year-old falling off the ski lift. Buckman tells the station that the restraint bar was still raised when the boy was in his chair.

“He must’ve slipped under the restraint bar. We’re investigating it right now, but the child said that the restraint bar was down. We are concerned about the child’s condition.”

Buckman adds that there won’t be an age or height requirement because it would be impossible for a lift attendant to determine age and size with all of the ski gear people have on. He says that in the 15 years his family has run the ski resort, they’ve only seen two or three falls like this one.

The Inquisitr wrote an article recently about a woman who fell off a ski lift. The 44-year-old skier from Brooklyn died after falling from a chair lift at Hunter Mountain Ski Resort.

[Image via NBC 10]