Ski resort settles lawsuit involving fatal lift accident

DENVER (AP) — The family of a Texas woman who died after falling from a chairlift at a small Colorado ski resort as she was riding up with her two young daughters has settled a wrongful death lawsuit.

William Huber, the girls’ father, filed the lawsuit, claiming staff at Ski Granby Ranch knew the lift was unsafe before the Dec. 29, 2016, accident that killed Kelly Huber, 40, of San Antonio, and severely injured her daughters, then 9 and 12.

The lift malfunctioned, and the chair the Hubers were riding in hit a support tower at the resort about 50 miles (80 kilometers) northwest of Denver, causing the family to fall about 30 feet (9 meters) onto hard-packed snow.

The family declined to comment on the settlement but offered a statement through their attorney that said they are “pleased with the outcome and anxious to move on with their lives,” The Colorado Sun reported Friday. A resort spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a text and an email seeking comment Friday.

The amount of the settlement has not been disclosed.

A state investigation found problems with the drive system that powered the chairlift, which resulted in rapid speed changes. Changes to the lift’s power system by the resort and an electrical contractor caused the lift to suddenly speed up, which flung the chairlift into the tower.

The lawsuit was filed against the ski resort and the contractor.