Photo: Anis Rahman // Unsplash
Like shark attacks, ski lift fatalities are a relatively rare occurrence that still manages to strike fear in the hearts of the public. However, every once in a while, an accident comes along that manages to bolster that fear. This week, skiers in Montenegro experienced the worst, in a horrific ski accident that left one man dead, his wife seriously injured and multiple skiers trapped on a lift.
The incident occurred Sunday, Dec. 21, at the Savin Kuk ski resort near Zabljak in the Durmitor Mountains of Montenegro. According to Montenegrin newspaper Pobjeda, one cable car basket slipped and hit the basket in front of it. As a result of the collision, a 34-year-old German tourist fell approximately 230 feet to his death. His wife, 30, was also in the lift with him and suffered an open fracture of the femur and head injury in the accident. The collision also left her trapped in the cable car until authorities could extract her. Meanwhile, at least three other tourists were also stuck in their chairs for several hours. Eventually, rescue workers managed to evacuate everyone.
The exact cause of the accident is still unknown, as People reports, but authorities have vowed to get to the bottom of the tragedy. “We insist on a comprehensive and transparent investigation to determine who is responsible,” Rados Zugic, the mayor of Žabljak, told Die Frankfurter Rundschau.
