Aspen Snowmass Sued Over Kid’s Fall From Chairlift
Snowmass, Colorado — Another lawsuit has been filed in Colorado against a ski resort giant. And it bears similarities to a case that resulted in a large payout to the victim.
Aspen Daily News reports that an Australian family is suing Aspen Skiing Company over a fall from a chairlift that occurred this past January. They are accusing the Snowmass workers of gross negligence.
On January 12th, an Australian family was preparing to ride the Alpine Springs chairlift. While loading, no one was at the chair to ensure the patrons were properly seated. While lifties were present, they were not focused on the lift. They were apparently talking with somebody, drinking from a bottle, and changing the music. The incident report from Aspen Skiing Co. claimed that the lift attendant was also distracted by a guest who was loading after them. This resulted in Shaun Quigley’s seven-year-old son not being able to properly load the lift. By the time the lift attendants were informed and stopped the lift, the Aussie family had already moved up twenty feet up the mountain with the chair. Shaun held on to his son for as long as he could, but eventually let go.
His son fell approximately twenty-five feet to the snowy ground, reportedly suffering serious injuries like a pelvic fracture in various spots and a concussion. For a few weeks, he had to be in a wheelchair.
Aspen doesn’t issue statements regarding ongoing litigation, but it did offer the following response in a legal filing to the claims.
“ASC generally denies the allegations of the Complaint and Plaintiff’s entitlement to the relief requested therein. Plaintiff’s Complaint contains inaccurate statements and portrayals of the facts underlying the subject incident, and Plaintiff’s claim for relief is inconsistent with the medical records and other documents which Plaintiff has made available to ASC as of the date of this filing,” stated Aspen Ski Co.
Precedent
If this seems familiar, it’s because a similar case just made its way through the Colorado court system. In 2025, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled in favor of a teenager who was paralyzed after falling from a chairlift at Crested Butte. The lift attendants also weren’t present, which was one of the main reasons why the girl was dangling from the lift. The family found Vail Resorts at fault and forced them to pay $12.4 million.
Given this precedent, it’ll be interesting to see whether they settle or just play it out, which can be a multi-year process.
Image/Video Credits: Tucker Stanton, Aspen Snowmass
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