A 19-year-old man from Stateline died today after falling 25 feet from the
Dipper Express chairlift at Heavenly Mountain Resort, authorities said.
The man, identified as Ryan Donald Moore, fell at about 11:30 a.m. when he
leaned forward to care for a leg cramp, according to a press release from
Heavenly.
The El Dorado County Sheriff's Office said this afternoon that the man had
died at 12:46 p.m.
Reports from witnesses indicate that the restraining bar on the chairlift
was not engaged, according to the resort. Heavenly ski patrol personnel were
in the area and on the scene almost immediately. Ski patrol transported the
man to the base of Dipper Express, and from there he was flown by CALSTAR
helicopter to Barton Memorial Hospital in South Lake Tahoe.
One engine company and a medical unit from Tahoe Douglas Fire Department
responded to the scene.
"His injuries were all trauma-induced," said Van Ogami, assistant chief at
Tahoe Douglas Fire Department.
This incident is under investigation by the El Dorado Sheriff's Coroner's
Unit.
