ski lift in Wisc. goes haywire, people jumping off, many injuries

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http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/index.php?smp=&lang=eng


At least 12 people were injured after a ski lift malfunctioned at Devil's Head Resort in Merrimac. It happened shortly after 7 p.m. Thursday night. "The ski lift was in operation, was full of skiers," said Sauk Co. Chief Deputy Chip Meister. "The ski lift stopped and then started coming back rapidly. There were unable to stop it at that time." "There was a loud bang and it smelled like burned rubber," said Brent Cashore of Evansville. "That's when it started coming backwards and the chairs were just flying and the thing is smokey, sparking." Deputy Meister says at least 3 people were seriously injured. And at least 9 minor injuries in the incident. "The chairs were just crashing at the bottom and shattering," said Cashore. "People were jumping off all over the mountain. It lasted about a minute and a half to two minutes. Nothing anyone could do but watch them jump off and try to help them." Crews are currently in the process of getting people off the lift that are still on it. "The injured people are currently being taken to area hospitals including Baraboo, Sauk Prairie Hospital, and possibly to Portage Hospital," Meister said. Devil's Head Resort general manager Joe Vittengl said there were three ski lifts in operation when the accident happened. Maintenance crews inspected the other two lifts, which were deemed safe. Those two lifts are still operating, according to Vittengl. An internal investigation is ongoing, but the conditions are making it difficult, according to Vittengl. "It's pitch dark out there," he said.
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1. Here's a news report

MERRIMAC, Wis. - Skiers at a southcentral Wisconsin ski resort describe the frightening free fall that occurred when a chair lift broke and injured at least 14 people.

The accident happened Thursday night at the Devil's Head ski resort near Merrimac. WKOW-TV reports the chair lift was full of people when it malfunctioned and sent riders backward. Lift operators could nothing to stop it as the chairs smashed into a back wall.

David Brady says he could hear the chairs crashing with the sound of metal on metal. Brady says he knew he had to jump from the lift. He wasn't alone. Others jumped as well, some falling more than 20 feet to the ground.

Authorities say at least three of the people taken to area hospitals had serious injuries.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-wi-skiliftaccident,0,5780012.story