SUV slides across Tahoe ski slope, 5 injured

Emergency crews tend to victims in a vehicle accident at Heavenly on Nov. 26. Photo/David Cook

By Kathryn Reed

Five people were taken to Barton Memorial Hospital on Saturday after the vehicle they were riding in ended up careening down World Cup run at Heavenly Mountain Resort and then landing upside down in the parking lot at California Lodge.

The Toyota 4Runner lost control about 4:30pm Nov. 26 as it came down Keller Road. There is about a 90-degree right turn. The driver was not able to handle the icy conditions.

Instead of staying on the pavement, the vehicle went onto the ski slope, picked up more speed and then went over a 12-foot retaining wall, landing on the roof of the SUV.

“Several people self-extricated. Heavenly ski patrol started rendering aid immediately,” South Lake Tahoe Battalion Chief Jim Drennan told Lake Tahoe News. “When we arrived they had two people on backboards.”

The parking lot was fairly empty because the California side of the ski resort is not open.

There were seven people in the vehicle. Of the five injured, one was four months pregnant. None of the injuries was life threatening. The group was from out of town.

“I want to stress the importance of driving slow in bad driving conditions. Certainly when you are going downhill on icy streets you need to go slow,” Drennan said.