|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
An 8-year-old girl fell from a chair lift on Sugarloaf Mountain, Maine. According to News Center Maine, the young girl fell 20 to 25 feet on Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021. According to officials in Carrabassett Valley — where Sugarloaf Mountain is located — the young girl was on the ski lift with her mother.
The marketing director for Sugarloaf Mountain stated that employees noticed the girl struggling and deployed a catch safety net. He further stated that the net was able to break the child’s fall. However, she ended up falling off the side of the net.
The director said the child was conscious and alert. However, she was experiencing back pain. He added that she did have preexisting medical conditions. An ambulance did arrive at the scene, however, the child was transported to the hospital by LifeFlight.
The last time there was a chair lift incident was on March 22, 2015. During this incident, the chairlift malfunctioned. The gearbox on the lift glitched which ended up disabling two brake systems.
According to the CDC, around 8,000 children — ages zero to 19 — are treated for nonfatal fall injuries every day in the U.S. This adds up to roughly 2.8 million children a year.
Once news about the girl’s fall broke many people took to social media to post prayers for her. One woman commented, “Sending prayers for her. Same age as my boys. Can’t even imagine what her mother is feeling.”
Many people are hoping the young child makes a quick recovery.
Currently, there has been no update on the child’s condition. This is an ongoing story and more information will be given later.
Written by Sheena Robertson
Sources:
News Center Maine: 8-year-old girl falls off chair lift at Sugarloaf Mountain; by Roslyn Flaherty
WCVB: Mechanical failure caused Sugarloaf chairlift malfunction that injured 7
CDC: Fall Prevention
Featured and Inline Image Courtesy of Jack Heddon’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License