Girl survives fall from chairlift at Squaw Valley

Updated Jan. 5, 7:45am:

By Kathryn Reed

A young girl who fell nearly 40-feet from a chairlift as Squaw Valley on Saturday is expected to survive.

“The child was flown to Renown [Medical Center in Reno] in fairly stable condition,” Marcus Dorsey-Hirt, clinical manager with CareFlight, told Lake Tahoe News.

He said the 8-year-old from Los Gatos sustained broken bones in the fall. Resort officials said she was conscious when ski patrol arrived.

“The skier was wearing a helmet at the time of her injury, however the restraint bar on the chair had not been used at any point during the lift ride,” Squaw officials said in a statement. Squaw said the mother of the victim said the restraint bar was not used.

Dominique Roddier of the Bay Area said his wife and daughter saw the girl fall Jan. 2 at about 3pm from the Big Blue chairlift. He said the victim was near the end of the lift when the accident occurred.

“The lift was stopped. When it started again … they think she slipped and fell,” Roddier told Lake Tahoe News. “My daughter said she landed on her side.”

Personnel at the hospital could not release any information, including if the girl was still there, because of medical confidentiality laws.

Big Blue is a six-seater that starts at mid-mountain, with mostly green runs off of it.