During a January 12 visit to Aspen Snowmass, Colorado, a son of an Australian family fell 24 feet from the resort’s Alpine Springs chairlift, reports Aspen Daily News. The Quigley family has now filed a lawsuit against Aspen Ski Co., claiming the chairlift operator and attendant were not paying attention when the boy “misloaded the carrier and was not securely seated.” The family is suing for gross negligence and negligence per se (which establishes that a defendant is negligent if they violate a safety law or regulation).
Aspen Ski Co. Chairlift Lawsuit: What the Quigley Family Alleges
The fall left the boy with a broken pelvis and a concussion. He was in a wheelchair for multiple weeks, according to the lawsuit.
Shaun Quigley, the boy’s father, claims both lift workers were unaware his son was “dangling from the carrier.” He claims that his son was dangling for “more than 20 seconds” and that the lift continued, despite reaching a “considerable distance and height from the boarding area.”
Shaun Quigley was sitting to his son’s left at the time of the incident. The suit states he “desperately clung to his 7-year-old son…in an effort to keep him from plunging to the ground from a considerable height.”
Only after shouts from bystanders did the lift crew become aware, according to the lawsuit. The chairlift was then stopped, moments before the boy “fell approximately 24 feet to the ground.”
What the Lift Operator Was Doing at the Time of the Fall
According to an incident report filed by the Aspen Ski Co., the lift attendant stated he was focused on a group loading behind the Quigleys. However, the suit alleges that the lift operator was “drinking from a bottle and doing other non-essential activities like changing music inside the lift shack” at the time the Quigleys loaded.
- Related: 22-Year-Old Australian Snowboarder Dies After Chairlift Accident at Tsugaike Mountain, Japan
Aspen Ski Co.’s Response to the Negligence Claims
The Aspen Ski Co. “generally denies the allegations.” The company believes the “alleged injuries and damages may have been caused by a preceding, intervening or superseding cause, event or condition for which ASC is not responsible.” It also states that Shaun Quigley’s claims are “barred by the terms of the waiver agreement.”
How a Colorado Supreme Court Ruling Could Affect This Case
A similar 2025 case restructured the way courts determine ski resort liability. After a fall from a chairlift at Crested Butte that left a 16-year-old girl paralyzed, the Colorado Supreme Court “considered whether a resort’s liability waiver shields it from negligence claims under the Ski Safety Act and the Passenger Tramway Safety Act.” It ruled that liability waivers cannot protect ski resorts from negligence claims, and assigned Crested Butte 75% of the fault. The other 25% was assigned to the family, with the statement that the girl “accepted certain risks when her father signed the liability waiver on her behalf.”
What the Quigley Family Is Seeking in Court
The Quigleys are demanding a trial by jury and are seeking compensation for all “economic and non-economic damages and losses.” Aspen Ski Co. requests that the claim “be dismissed with prejudice and ASC be awarded its attorneys’ fees, costs, and expenses in defense of this action.”
A pretrial date has not been announced yet.
