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8-year-old boy falls off chairlift in Northern Utah, narrowly escaped serious injury

Posted at 2:46 PM, Dec 29, 2018
and last updated 2018-12-29 22:24:28-05

EDEN, Utah  An 8-year-old boy narrowly escaped being seriously injured when he fell approximately 33 feet off a ski lift Friday in Nordic Valley, officials said.

According to Capt. John Wood with the Weber Fire District, responders were dispatched at around 2:30 p.m. Friday on a report of a fall at the ski resort.

When crews were on the way, Wood stated that they learned an 8-year-old child had fallen from a chairlift.

Ski patrol had taken the child to medical facilities at the ski resort after he fell, and a medical helicopter was called, Wood stated.

A witness who saw the boy fall said he landed right on his feet, “like a cat falls on its feet,” Wood said. It was unknown why the boy fell off the chairlift.

Wood said when ski patrol measured the distance the boy fell, it was 33 feet. Wood called the boy “very lucky,” and said that falls over ten feet can cause significant injuries and even death.

Once the boy was evaluated by responders, it was determined that a medical helicopter was not needed, Wood said. The boy was taken to the hospital by his parents and was evaluated, and it was determined that he had no injuries.