State officials investigating after woman injured on alpine coaster in Colorado
Officials in Colorado are investigating after a woman was injured on an alpine coaster this month, with attorneys for the rider claiming she was ejected from her car and dragged along the track.
The incident occurred on Aug. 17 at Copper Mountain in Summit County, according to the Colorado Division of Oil and Public Safety, which oversees amusement rides in the state.
The woman, Nicola Parker of Texas, was on the resort's Rocky Mountain Coaster when she was "somehow thrown out of her car as it rounded a turn and became entangled by her seatbelt as she was dragged on the track for some distance," her attorneys said in a press release.
She had her seatbelt on at the time, the attorneys said.
According to Parker's attorneys, her "serious injuries" included a separated left shoulder, a broken rib that punctured and collapsed her left lung, a traumatic brain injury and deep lacerations.
She was initially treated at a nearby hospital before being transported to a trauma center "due to the severity of her injuries," her attorneys said. Parker has needed multiple surgeries so far, they said.
In a statement, Copper Mountain said members of its patrol responded to an incident involving the Rocky Mountain Coaster on Aug. 17.
"When members of patrol arrived, the guest was seated in the cart with their seatbelt fastened," the statement said. "Patrol assisted the guest to the base area, where care was transferred to Summit Fire & EMS."
Copper Mountain said it is working with the Colorado Division of Oil and Public Safety and the manufacturer to review the incident.
"Our thoughts are with the guest, and we wish them a speedy recovery, the statement said.
The Rocky Mountain Coaster is currently closed amid the state's investigation, the Colorado Division of Oil and Public Safety said. A similar ride at Purgatory Resort in Durango is also closed "pending the outcome of the investigation," the agency said.
"This is a horrific incident that should have never occurred," Joseph Bloch of the law firm Bloch Ongert, which is representing Parker, said in a statement. "Ms. Parker had her seatbelt fastened at all times and followed all instructions provided by Copper Mountain. There is simply no way she should have been ejected from the coaster. We look forward to receiving the results of the investigation."
The 5,800-foot-long Rocky Mountain Coaster is the second-longest alpine coaster in North America, with speeds reaching up to 25 mph, according to Copper Mountain.
