The at Copper Mountain ski resort closed earlier this month after a woman was allegedly thrown from the ride, tangled in her seatbelt and dragged along the tracks, causing what her lawyer called “life-altering injuries.”
Nicola Parker, a Texas resident, suffered a punctured and collapsed lung, a traumatic brain injury and cuts and scrapes all over her body after being ejected from the ride on Aug. 17, her lawyers said in a statement.
The incident is being investigated by the Colorado Division of Oil and Public Safety, which oversees the safe operation of amusement park rides.
“This is a horrific incident that should have never occurred,” attorney Joseph Bloch, of Colorado-based law firm Bloch Ongert, said in a statement. “Ms. Parker had her seatbelt fastened at all times, and followed all instructions provided by Copper Mountain. There is simply no way she should have been ejected from the coaster. We look forward to receiving the results of the investigation.”
The law firm has not filed a suit on Parker’s behalf because the investigation is ongoing.
Colorado Department of Labor and Employment spokesperson Jessica Smith confirmed in a Friday statement the Division of Oil and Public Safety’s investigation and said the state has told the ride’s manufacturer to publish a safety bulletin and share it with affected operators.
“A similar ride operating at the Purgatory Resort is also closed pending the outcome of the investigation,” Smith said. “Documentation involving the incident will not be made public until the investigation is complete.”
A spokesperson for Copper Mountain, west of Breckenridge, confirmed the coaster was closed after an incident on Aug. 17, and that the resort was working with the state and the ride’s manufacturer to review what happened. Copper Mountain officials did not go into detail about what happened, but confirmed a guest was transferred to Summit Fire and EMS for care.
