Slipped over the track

Lift seat bar broke: skiers seriously injured

The accident occurred on a T-bar lift (symbolic image).(Bild: Christian Jauschowetz)

A devastating skiing accident occurred on Saturday in the Tyrolean Oberland: a seat bar came loose on a T-bar lift, causing two Germans to slide down the slope. One of them suffered serious injuries and had to be transported away by emergency helicopter.

The curious but extremely fatal accident happened at around 2.15 pm in the Marienbergbahnen ski area, which is mostly in the municipality of Biberwier (Reutte district), but also partly in Obsteig (Imst district). The two Germans, aged 51 and 42, were traveling uphill on the "Almlift" T-bar lift. "After around 80 meters, at the start of the first steep slope, the seat bar unexpectedly detached from the tow bar," is how the police describe the dramatic scenes.

The lift attendant immediately stopped the lift and alerted the piste rescue service.

Die Ermittler

Both winter sports enthusiasts then slid backwards, causing one of them to fall so badly that he suffered a serious knee injury. 

To hospital by emergency helicopter
"The lift attendant immediately stopped the lift and alerted the piste rescue service," the investigators continue. The seriously injured man was then given initial treatment on site and then flown to the Bavarian hospital in Garmisch-Partenkirchen by the "Martin 2" emergency helicopter.

It is unclear how the accident could have happened. Investigations are ongoing.

Accident a week ago on the Glungezer
This was the second fatal incident in Tyrol within a week. Just last weekend, the suspension cable was torn out of a T-bar lift on the Glungezer near Innsbruck! It hit the ground - a winter sports enthusiast was hit and escaped with a scare. At the time of the incident, there were 40 people on the lift.