Utah Ski Resort Employee, 29, Dies After Falling from Chairlift That Was Struck by Tree
Rudi Riet/Wikimedia Park City Mountain Resort
An employee at a ski resort in Utah died on Monday after falling from a chairlift, officials say.
The 29-year-old man, identified by authorities as Christian Helger, "lost his life in a tragic ski chair lift accident at Park City Mountain," the Summit County Sheriff's Office shared in a statement on Wednesday.
In a previous statement, police said they were contacted by Park County Mountain Ski Patrol on Monday at 11:25 a.m.
"Summit County Sheriff Investigators learned that a pine tree fell onto the Short Cut chair lift cable and caused chairs to vertically move up and down significantly enough to cause a 29-year-old Millcreek man to fall from the lift chair into a ravine of deep snow," they wrote. "Unfortunately, the man was found unresponsive."
Helger, a member of the ski patrol, was on-duty at the time of the incident, according to CBS station KUTV.
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Investigators said in a statement that they believe "the tree hit the lift cable behind where the man was seated."
After the impact, Helger fell between 25 and 50 feet and landed in "chest-deep snow," according to NBC affiliate KSL-TV.
"This wasn't over a run," Summit County Sheriff's Capt. Andrew Wright told the outlet. "There was a ravine where he had fallen. It took at least 20 minutes, from what we've been told, for ski patrollers to get down there, dig him out of the snow, and start performing life-saving measures."
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An official cause of death will be determined by the Utah Office of the Medical Examiner.
"Our prayers are with the Helger family as they grieve the loss of Christian," police said in Wednesday's statement. "Hug your loved ones often and tell them you love them."
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In a statement obtained by PEOPLE, Deirdra Walsh, the vice president and chief operating officer of Park City Mountain said "We are all deeply saddened by this tragic incident, and we will be providing support for our employees as we grieve this devastating loss."
"The Park City Mountain team – as well as the entire Vail Resorts team – extend our deepest sympathy and support to the family and friends of our team member," added Walsh.
Monday's incident marked the second death in two days at the Utah resort, according to KUTV, which reported a 75-year-old man died on Sunday after suffering a medical issue while skiing.
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As they look into what caused the tree to fall, authorities say "there are a lot of questions that will come into play."
"Yes, there was a lot of snow. There could be other factors — the health of the tree, the proximity of the tree, all of those types of things," Wright told KSL-TV.
The chairlift will be closed throughout the investigation, according to the outlet.
