LOCAL NEWS

Family files lawsuit after girl dangled from Park City ski lift for 300 yards, then fell 30 feet

Feb 21, 2024, 5:18 PM | Updated: Jun 28, 2024, 3:54 pm

FILE: Park City Mountain Resort (Scott G. Winterton, Deseret News)...

FILE: Park City Mountain Resort (Scott G. Winterton, Deseret News)

(Scott G. Winterton, Deseret News)

PARK CITY — A family is suing Vail Resorts, the parent company of Park City Mountain Resort, after a 10-year-old girl dangled and then fell 30 feet from the chairlift, sustaining severe injuries. The girl’s father was also injured when he jumped down to help her.

The lawsuit explains that on Dec. 16, 2020, the family was celebrating Megan Mak’s 10th birthday at Park City Mountain Resort.

When boarding the Iron Mountain Express chairlift at approximately 2:35 p.m., Megan and her friends had trouble sitting and weren’t able to pull down the safety bar. Megan slipped out of the seat and hung dangling from the chairlift as it proceeded up the mountain.

Leo Mak, Megan Mak’s father, was seated in the seats directly behind Megan with two other friends.

The lawsuit claims that Megan and her friends screamed to the lone chairlift operator to stop the chairlift, as did Leo Mak, but the operator did not stop the moving lift.

The chairlift ultimately traveled 300 yards from the original boarding area when Megan lost her grip and fell 30 feet to the ground below.

According to the lawsuit, Megan sustained “severe injuries as a result of the fall.” Then, fearing for his daughter’s safety, the lawsuit states, “Leo Mak jumped to Megan Mak’s rescue, and in the process, sustained severe injuries.

The family claims the ski resort was negligent in failing to properly secure their daughter and failing to properly train/supervise its employees.

Due to the alleged negligence, the lawsuit explains that Mak suffered serious injuries including a head injury with loss of consciousness, concussion and memory loss, rib fractures, wrist fracture, pubic ramus fracture pelvis fracture, left hip fracture and severe abdominal trauma, while Megan suffered serious injuries to her abdomen and left hip.

The lawsuit seeks damages from Vail Resorts, which are to be determined at trial.

KSL TV has reached out to Park City Mountain Resort for comment but has not heard back as of Wednesday night.

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Family files lawsuit after girl dangled from Park City ski lift for 300 yards, then fell 30 feet