Man Dies After 50-Foot Fall From Amusement Park Ride

He was seen hanging from front of chair lift at Lagoon Amusement Park in Utah
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 17, 2021 4:26 PM CDT
Man Dies After 50-Foot Fall From Amusement Park Ride
The man was seen dangling from the front of a gondola car similar to this one.   (Getty Images/passion4nature)

A 32-year-old man has died after a 50-foot fall from a ride at an amusement park in Utah—but there's no sign there was any problem with the ride. Disturbing video provided to Fox 13 shows the man dangling from the bar on the front of the chair lift on the Sky Ride at Lagoon Amusement Park. In the video, taken moments before he fell, the man appeared calm and was making no effort to get back into the chair. He was hospitalized in critical condition after the Saturday evening incident and police said Monday that he had died. Police say the man, who was on the ride alone, had been visiting the park with his family and the fall appears to have been unintentional. The ride carries guests from one end of the Farmington Park to the other.

Officials say the Sky Ride had operated at the park without incident since 1974. "Every ride on the park undergoes intense safety inspections. This received an inspection Saturday morning," said Lagoon spokesman Adam Leishman, per KUTV. "This operates exactly like every chair lift at every ski resort here in Utah," he added. Leishman said he has been at the park for 30 years and cannot recall another occasion when somebody has fallen off a ride. Farmington Police Chief Wayne Hansen says the incident is being investigated and toxicology tests will be conducted as part of the autopsy, reports KSL. "We don't know why he did that or what was going on," Hansen says. "We just don't know." (More amusement parks stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X