Officials say two people were sent to the hospital after many skiers on Beech Mountain were splashed with freezing cold water when a water line appeared to break on Friday.
The North Carolina Department of Labor stated that it is investigating the incident on Sunday afternoon.
According to WCNC Charlotte, the department’s Elevator and Amusement Device Bureau dispatched an inspector to Beech Mountain on Saturday.
The inquiry is still ongoing, and no further details were released on Sunday.
Tim Williams provided video of the incident with WCNC Charlotte, claiming that he and his daughter were present during the entire ordeal. According to Williams, the water pressure caused some skiers to be blown off the lift.
“People were frantic. There were some people that tried to grab a snowboard and cover the water, but that did not work,” said Williams.
As freezing cold water sprayed into lifts, he said, people tried to help.
“The problem was when they stopped the lifts, they stopped a chair directly above the water,” said Williams, “When that happened, it was pretty hard to watch.”
The problem was made worse by the cold weather in the North Carolina mountains. Emma LaPinto celebrated her birthday at Beech Mountain Ski Resort. The water pressure threw her out of her lift, she said.
“All I can remember is seeing the metal bar that comes down just fly up, and I just remember seeing myself in the air,” LaPinto said.
LaPinto said she has bruises all over her body and an air bubble in her chest.
“I was there for a good time,” said LaPinto, “And then it was like my life in front of my eyes.”
In a statement from Beech Mountain Ski Resort, the resort said an uninjured guest skied into a water and air hydrant during snowmaking operations.
“The hydrant was under a loaded chair, resulting in several patrons getting wet,” the resort said. “Our operations and safety team worked diligently to unload the lift and drain the system safely. Avery EMS transported two patrons to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. We believe everyone is okay outside of the unfortunate situation, and operations are on a regular schedule.”
