Skier speaks out after dramatic rescue caught on camera
A skier is speaking out after a dramatic chairlift rescue at a Southern California mountain resort.
The Tuesday incident was caught on camera by Pierce Mayer, a bystander who shared it in a now-viral Instagram post with over 16 million views.
The clip shows Roula De Miranda-Arce dangling from a chairlift at Big Bear Mountain Resort as her twin sister Raizel De Miranda-Arce and her friend Makenna Dumlao hold on to her to prevent her from plummeting to the ground.
“I was like, Oh, I'm definitely dying,” Roula De Miranda-Arce said to “Good Morning America”.
Roula De Miranda-Arce said she had slipped out of her seat while the chairlift was in operation.
“I looked down and I saw it was high enough for it to look like death,” she said.
When reached by ABC News, Big Bear Mountain Resort confirmed the incident occurred and said Roula De Miranda-Arce and her sister "admitted to horseplay as the reason for her becoming suspended."
"As soon as staff became aware of the situation, they took quick action to stop the carrier and unload everyone as soon as it reached the upper terminal. As a precautionary measure, the guest was evaluated by ski patrol. The individuals involved in the incident did not sustain any significant injuries and we are grateful to our team for their swift response," a spokesperson for the resort said. "This is a good example of why we recommend guests always lower the safety bar and refrain from engaging in potentially dangerous or distracting behavior while riding lifts."
Raizel De Miranda-Arce and Dumlao quickly took action and held onto Roula De Miranda-Arce.
“I thought she was joking and I was like, ‘Ha, whatever dude,’” Raizel De Miranda-Arce recounted. “And then she was like, ‘No, seriously, I need help, I can't get up,’ and I'm like, ‘Oh, my God.’”
In the video clip, Roula De Miranda-Arce can be seen squirming as the chairlift continues to move ahead.
“They're telling me to stop moving. Listen, I'm not even thinking about moving, I'm panicking,” Roula De Miranda-Arce said.
Dumlao said they were able to keep her from falling but the situation could have been much worse.
“We had her, but if she continued to keep moving, it was gonna slip,” Dumlao said.
Raizel De Miranda-Arce also pointed to the chairlift’s safety bar as a big help.
“Had the bar not been there, I don't think we would have been as lucky as we were,” she said, adding, “Seriously, put the bar down.”
The three women were able to reach the top of the mountain slope and although they were shaken up, they said this incident won’t prevent them from skiing in the future.
“Nonetheless, nothing will ever stop us from going down the slopes,” Roula De Miranda-Arce said.
