Five injured after Pennsylvania ski lift accident

Thousands are left stranded at start of Christmas travel rush as power outage at Atlanta causes 'pandemonium' at the world's busiest airport with more than six HUNDRED flights canceled
NFL opens investigation into Carolina Panthers owner, 81, for 'sexually harassing and racially insulting employees' as it's revealed he paid out at least FOUR 'significant' cash settlements
Trump and Putin speak AGAIN as Russian president phones Camp David to thank Trump for CIA tip that prevented St. Petersburg terror attack
Was Dustin Hoffman, who's played Hollywood's favorite victims, a sex predator all along? Five women claim the actor abused them when they were as young as 15
Husband of Ugly Betty and Catastrophe star Ashley Jensen is found dead at family home: Actress 'devastated' following his sudden death aged 60
Total domination! Disney and Fox films accounted for 90 PERCENT of this weekend's box office take as their combined power is revealed to Hollywood
Trump says he's NOT considering firing Robert Mueller even though his people are 'very upset' by Special Counsel's move to gain access to thousands of emails sent by transition team
Mnuchin says he doesn't 'have any reason' to think Trump plans to fire Mueller - after Democratic lawmaker spreads rumor that Trump wants special counsel gone by Christmas
'One of the great Christmas gifts to middle-income people': Trump defends tax cuts as Republicans signal they have enough votes to pass a bill before the holiday
Trump administration bans CDC from using words including 'transgender' 'fetus' and 'diversity'
'All out-nuclear war:' The man who leaked the Pentagon Papers that exposed government lies during the Vietnam War warns that the US is close to a nuclear Armageddon
President Trump will label China a competitor in 'America First' national security speech he'll deliver Monday
Erdogan says Turkey will open an embassy in East Jerusalem after rallying Muslim leaders from across the world to recognise it as the capital of Palestine
When Harry interviewed Barry: Barack Obama jokes around with Prince Harry as he's questioned for the royal's guest editing slot on BBC radio in the UK
'Missing' Monet last seen in 1895 is found on a GOOGLE search: Eagle-eyed art historian recognizes the painting from a postage stamp size picture from a private listing in New Orleans
New York subway passenger, 41, survives being hit in the head by a train after he was attacked by two assailants on the platform
CNN political commentator comes under fire for branding a Georgetown student an 'anti-Semitic bigot' because he was wearing a 'bacon suit'
Sen. McCain 'doing well' and in 'good spirits' says son-in-law - though won't be on hand for the final tax reform vote
British female diplomat is found dead in Lebanon after being 'raped, murdered and dumped by the side of a motorway'
Harvey Weinstein denies blacklisting Mira Sorvino after Bad Santa director Terry Zwigoff claims he was stopped from casting the actress in his movie
Radio mogul under pressure to resign from UC Regents after being recorded asking if he could squeeze a woman's breasts and referring to his hands as 'memory foam'
KISS rocker Gene Simmons, 68, denies assaulting California woman who is suing him over claims he groped her during opening of his restaurant
'It accelerated like nothing I've ever seen': Two Navy airmen describe encounter with what they believe was a UFO after the Pentagon reveals its multi-million dollar search program for mysterious objects
US soldier Sgt. La David Johnson fought to the very end in Niger ambush and was not taken prisoner, military investigation finds

A chair on the chairlift at Tussey Mountain slipped loose and slid backwards
It slid backwards into another chair, causing a domino effect on the rope
By the end of it, four chairs carrying skiers and snowboarders had slipped in to one another
Five people - all of whom work for the resort - suffered non-life-threatening injuries
The chairlift was carrying 20 people, all of whom were evacuated once it had stopped
They were pictured being hoisted down by emergency services on ropes

Published: 15:01 EST, 16 December 2017 | Updated: 15:59 EST, 16 December 2017

e-mail

View
comments

Five people have been injured in a chairlift accident in Pennsylvania.

The ski lift malfunctioned on Tussey Mountain near Boalsburg on Saturday morning as hundreds of snow sports enthusiasts descended on the slopes to make the most of fresh powder.

The malfunction was caused when one chair, which was carrying resort staff, slid backwards into another.

The weight of it caused a domino effect and, once the lift had been stopped, four had been slammed together.

It was a dramatic sight which sparked panic on the mountain and led the evacuation of the entire chairlift.

Scroll down for video

Four chairs on the chairlift at Tussey Mountain in Pennsylvania crashed in to one another on Saturday afternoon after one slipped loose as it was moving, causing a domino effect

A child is evacuated from another seat after the chairlift was brought to a stop. Emergency service workers used ropes to hoist people down

Everyone who was on it when it malfunctioned had to be hoisted down by emergency services.

The five people who were injured are all mountain staff and none suffered life threatening injuries.

It slipped back which caused a domino effect which resulted in a total of four slipped chairs

Tussey Mountain Director of Marketing Aaron Weyman

Tussey Mountain staff told DailyMail.com that it was an 'unfortunate' accident which they are now looking in to.

They dismissed reports that skiers were 'crushed and pinned' beneath the heavy lift, saying: 'We had a malfunction, a chair carrying skiers and snowboarders slipped along the hull rope and slipped back which caused a domino effect which resulted in a total of four slipped chairs.

'They did not fall, they did not collapse, no one was crushed.

'There were minor injuries which we are saddened by but we are encouraged that they're all non-life-threatening,' Aaron Weyman, the resort's Director of Marketing, said.

'The chairlift was stopped and we got everyone off,' he added.

The chairlift at Tussey Mountain was halted and emergency services evacuated it. This was the scene not long after the accident

The resort tweeted that it was having 'difficulties' with the chairlift at around 10.30am and tweeted '#sorry' - a remark which was met with fury by victims' relatives

Later, it sent out another tweet to apologize for causing any offense

Weyman assured that the equipment was sound, saying: 'All of our equipment was tested and passed local laws [but] we're going to double and triple check everything.'

The chairlift remained closed for the rest of the day but will be reopened on Friday if it is proven to be safe enough to use again, he said.

Twitter users responded angrily to a tweet the mountain's staff sent out immediately after the accident which included the hashtag 'sorry'.

One critic said she was the wife of one of the injured.

'My husband, your employee is sitting here in the ER. So is another employee... Sorry???

'How about you show some concern for the employees and other people injured???' she said.

Later, the resort sent out another tweet apologizing for causing any offense.

'At the time the office was notified of a lift malfunction and when this original tweet was made, we were under the impression it was solely a lift issue and there were no injuries. We apologize to anyone who was offended by our hashtag,' they said.