ASPEN, Colo.—An Aspen Skiing Co. executive says he should have made sure someone applied for a U.S. Forest Service permit before a film shoot that resulted in a fatal skiing accident.
David Perry, a vice president of Aspen Skiing Co., said it was his responsibility to make sure someone had applied before Denver-based Futuristic Films began shooting footage for a TV program.
Previously the two companies had given differing accounts on who was responsible.
“Either we should have had a permit or the filmmakers should have had a permit,” Perry told the Aspen Daily News in Thursday’s editions. “We made a mistake. And ultimately, it is my responsibility.”
Wallace Westfeldt, a 22-year-old competitive snowboarder from the Aspen area, died April 4 after snowboarding off a cliff during the shooting. The Pitkin County coroner said he died of internal bleeding.
The Forest Service fined one Aspen Skiing Co. employee and two Futuristic Films employees $525 each for filming without a permit.
No one was charged with causing Westfeldt’s death, which investigators said was accidental.
If someone had applied for a permit, it likely would have been denied because the site was in a wilderness area, said Jim Stark of the White River National Forest.
Brendan Kiernan of Futuristic Films said the program, profiling four skiers and snowboarders who grew up in Aspen, will be completed and will include a tribute to Westfeldt.
———
Information from: Aspen Daily News,
———
Information from: Aspen Daily News,
