Teen dangles from chair lift at California resort as rescuers rush to help, video shows

Quick-thinking rescuers at a ski resort in California rushed to save a teen as she was dangling from a chair lift, news outlets reported.

On Jan. 27, as a Mammoth Mountain chair lift was ascending, a 16-year-old slipped and dangled from the chair, a resort spokesperson told KTLA.

What caused the teen to slip was not specified in news outlets.

The teen was dangling while five ski resort employees and eight guests came with a net to help “cushion her fall” at the Mammoth Lakes resort, according to KABC.

In the video posted to Instagram by user @Lunar_rock_maxx, the teen is seen dangling from the stopped chair lift before eventually falling into the net.

The person capturing the incident can be heard saying “oh my god” as the teen hits the packed powder with a loud thump, the video, which has garnered over 2.4 million views as of Feb. 1, shows.

A spokesperson for Mammoth Mountain told KABC that although the net “decelerated her fall,” it did not stop it. The girl was taken to Mammoth Hospital for a medical evaluation, the outlet reported.

As of Feb. 1, there is not an update on the teen’s condition, according to news outlets.

McClatchy News reached out to Mammoth Hospital and Mammoth Mountain for more information on Feb. 1 and was awaiting a response.

A similar incident happened at Mammoth Mountain in 2018 when an 18-year-old skier was caught dangling upside down before falling into a net held by rescue teams, KTLA reported.

The National Ski Areas Association says chair lift riders should remember to sit with your back against the seat rest, and if you drop something, let it fall and ask the ski patrol to grab it for you.

Mammoth Lakes is about 240 miles southeast of Sacramento.

This story was originally published February 1, 2024 at 11:25 AM with the headline "Teen dangles from chair lift at California resort as rescuers rush to help, video shows."