A chairlift broke at a south central Wisconsin ski resort Thursday night, December 17, resulting in a frightening free-fall that injured at least 14 people-three seriously.
Initially, three people were reported taken to area hospitals in serious condition, but hospital personnel later said everyone injured in the accident at the Devil’s Head ski resort near Merrimac Wisconsin had been treated and released.
According to reports, the chairlift was filled with people when it malfunctioned and sent riders backwards. Lift operators could do nothing to stop it as the chairs smashed into a back wall.
One witness said he could hear the chairs crashing with the sound of metal on metal. The riders of the lift were forced to jump off instead of crashing. It is reported that some people feel more than twenty feet to the ground.
Sheriff’s deputies still aren’t sure what caused the malfunction that caused the chairlift to move in reverse.
The Wisconsin Department of Commerce on Friday sent an inspector skilled in ski lift machinery to determine what caused an accident at the resort.
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