Ski Lift Safety

The end of 2010 saw an abundance of ski chair lift incidents.  Six people were taken to hospitals after five ski lift chairs fell to the ground at a Maine ski resort.   A 10 year old girl was injured last week after falling about 15 feet from a chairlift at Hidden Valley.  About 100 people had to be evacuated from Crabbe Mountain's ski lift when the emergency brakes on the system activated and stopped the lift.

These are only a few of the chair lift incidents that took place within days of each other the last couple weeks that have people asking themselves, are chair lifts really safe?

 It’s not just skiers asking this question either.  Ski resorts are double checking procedures and equipment to make sure everything is up to standards where safety is concerned.  Lawmakers in Montana are looking into a chairlift safety bill.  Even before these incidents the Alpine Meadows Ski Resort in Lake Tahoe had installed Magnestick harnesses on their lifts to keep children safely in place.

While many of these incidents were caused by high winds or power outages, you, the skier, can also take precautions to ensure your own safety on the lifts.

When boarding the lift use extreme caution.  While waiting for the lift, remove the pole straps from your wrist and put both poles in one hand.  When the lift nears the back of your legs, grab the center bar with your free hand and sit, scooting all the way to the back of the chair.  If you need extra accommodations ask the operator before getting in line.

When riding the chairlift, keep your ski tips up and hold on tightly to all your gear. Keep the safety bar down at all times during the ride.  Don’t lean forward, swing your legs, nor do anything else that would cause your chairlift to swing.  If your chair has footrests, keep the skis securely in them throughout the ride.  Be alert to your surroundings.

Always keep your safety bar down until told to raise it.  There should be signs directing you when it is safe to raise the bar, but if not, raise the bar only when you are approaching the station. Be careful of potential injuries. The bar can hit you or your chairlift partner on the head if swung with excessive force.

Watch for signs or markers that tell you when to disembark the chairlift. Check for loose clothing that could get caught on the lift chair. When approaching the station, scoot forward on your chair and raise your skis slightly so you can glide off the lift. If there are no markers, simply stand up when you feel your skis touch the snow. After standing up, ski to the side, out of the way of other chairlift passengers. When getting off of the lift, hold on to your ski poles tightly. 

If you feel like you’re about to drop something while on the lift, do NOT lean forward and grab at the item.  Just let it fall.  Tell the operator at the station so he or she can help you leave the lift safely and recover any personal items. 

Many accidents can be avoided by simply following the ski resort rules.  For those accidents that may be the fault of defective equipment or inadequate maintenance, you  may need to call an attorney.


Stay safe and have fun on the slopes.

Sources:
Ehow

Trails.com

Associated Press

Montana Snow Sports

Pittsburgh Post Gazette

Time & Transcripts 

Snowmobile safety.

Just yesterday there was a snowmobile fatality in Minnesota, the same day a Wisconsin man was sentenced in a deadly snowmobile accident from last New Year’s Eve.  While yesterday’s accident is still being investigated, alcohol and excessive speed were factors in last year’s. The twenty-seven year old Wisconsin man ran over a friend after he’d fallen from his own snowmobile.

75% of snowmobile fatalities occur off trails.  74% involve alcohol and 37% involve excessive speed.  Most snowmobiling injuries and deaths fall on males, aged twenty to thirty-four.

How do you stay safe out there on the trails?  Well the obvious would be to stay on designated trails, keep speeds at a reasonable rate, and avoid using drugs and alcohol if you’re planning on snowmobiling. 

Here are some more tips to follow in order to help you remain alert and ensure your safety on the trails:

1. Always let someone know where you going and when you will return.
2. Never ride alone.
3. Watch your fuel supply.  Head out only to a point where the fuel gauge is showing no less than one half, then follow your track back.
4. Be sure to have reflective trim somewhere on your snowmobile for night time visibility.

Be on the watch for:

• Obstacles hidden in the snow.
• Trees and branches on the trail.
• Slow maintenance equipment.
• Other snowmobiles, sleds, skiers, walkers, and wildlife.
• Wash outs and flooding.
• Snow banks and moguls.
• Road and railway crossings.
• Unexpected corners, intersections, and stops.
• Bridges, open water, and unsafe ice.
• Logging operations.

  Avalanches:  They’re not just in the movies.  They are a real, life-threatening winter hazard.  Here are a few tips on how to avoid an avalanche:

• Avoid areas in which avalanches are known to occur
• Spend as little time as possible on open, steep slopes
• Avoid crossing steep sided hills.  If you must cross, stay on the side where the wind blows.       
• Stay out of narrow, steep canyons
• It’s safer to snowmobile in areas where snow tends to be compacted and fixed, such as timbered areas, along ridges, and rock outcrops.

If you get caught in an avalanche:

• Remain calm.
• Call out to others so they can 
• find your course.
• Move away from your machine     and equipment.
• “Swim” with the avalanche.
• Before coming to a stop, place your hands over your face to form an air pocket.  If the snow is soft you may be able to dig yourself out.  
• Be sure to dig your way up.  If you have been able to create a pocket, use gravity to determine up from down.  
• Don’t waste your strength and oxygen yelling.  Sound doesn’t broadcast well out of snow.

If you get out of the avalanche:

• Don’t leave your party behind.  You may be their only chance at survival. 
• Search for victims by probing with a pole directly downhill from the point they were last seen.

 Be sure to dress right when snowmobiling. 

• Bottom layer should be polypropylene and thermals, fabrics that release moisture while retaining heat. Then add another heat retentive layer on top of that.
• Avoid cottons and sweat shirts.  They keep the moisture in and will make you cold and clammy which could lead to hypothermia.
• Find snowsuits that are water and wind proof.
• If riding across ice, consider wearing a buoyant snowmobile suit.  If the ice happens to break, the suit will keep you afloat and help protect you against hypothermia.  It’s best however, to avoid riding over ice if possible.
• Always carry extra clothing, socks, boot liners, and mittens.

 

Hypothermia is the greatest threat for winter riders.  When you have hypothermia your body loses heat faster than it can produce it, causing a dangerously low body temperature.   When your body temperature drops, your heart, nervous system and other organs don’t work properly.

Left untreated, hypothermia eventually leads to complete failure of your heart and respiratory system and to death.

Here are the causes of hypothermia:

• Not dressing properly for weather conditions.
• Staying out in the cold too long.
• Unable to get out of wet clothes or move to a warm, dry location.
• Accidental falls in water.

Signs and symptoms of hypothermia include: 

• Shivering.
• Clumsiness or lack of coordination.
• Slurred speech or mumbling.
• Stumbling.
• Confusion or difficulty thinking.
• Poor decision making, such as trying to remove warm clothes.
• Drowsiness or very low energy.
• Apathy, or lack of concern about one's condition.
• Progressive loss of consciousness.
• Weak pulse.
• Shallow breathing.

A person suffering from hypothermia usually isn't aware of his or her condition.  The symptoms often begin gradually and one of the symptoms, confusion, prevents self-awareness. 

If you fear someone is suffering from hypothermia, here’s what you should do:

• Handle them with care.  Limit movements to only those that are necessary. Don't massage or rub the person. Too much movement could trigger heart failure.
• Move the person to a warm, dry location if possible. If you're unable to move the person out of the cold, try to shield him or her from the cold and wind.
• If the person is wearing wet clothing, remove it. Cut away clothing if necessary to avoid excessive movement.
• Use layers of dry blankets or coats to warm the person. Cover the person's head, leaving only the face exposed.
• To warm the person's body, remove your clothing and lie next to the person, making skin-to-skin contact. Then cover both of your bodies with blankets.
• If they stop breathing or their breath seems dangerously low, begin CPR if you’re trained to do so.
• If the affected person is conscious, give them something warm to drink.  No alcohol or caffeine. 
• Get medical help as soon as possible.

 Follow the above guidelines and snowmobiling can be an exciting, yet safe activity in which to engage this season.  Also keep in mind courtesy and protection of the environment when hitting the trails. Take pleasure in the winter wonderland around you and enjoy the ride!

Sources:
The Mayo Clinic
KARE 11
WSAU Newstalk
Clallam County, Washington

To learn more about  snowmobiling in Washington state visit Washington State Parks, the WSSA, and the WSSA Safety Program.

To find snowmobile associations in your state click here.

Attorneys Duties Don't End at the Office

by James W. McCormick

I deeply believe that every lawyer owes a duty to help those in need find justice.  Lawyers hold a great deal of power in our society because they are given access to the courthouse and legal system that others simply do not have.  Because of this, it is the responsibility of every lawyer to help open those doors for people who otherwise would be shut out.  Often, too many lawyers forget this duty.

I try to live by this philosophy in my practice.  The clients I help at Messina Bulzomi Christensen have often been catastrophically injured.  Many have suffered losses of the greatest kind:  loss of life, family, limb, or health.  Others have lost a livelihood or way of life.  All too often those responsible for causing these losses have turned their backs on the people they have hurt, denying responsibility and shunning accountability.  Often the injured do not have the resources, know how, or the capacity to seek justice on their own behalf.  That’s where I see my role as a trial lawyer - as one who equals the playing field and steps up to help those who cannot help themselves. 



James McCormick receiving the
Washington State Bar
Association Pro Bono Award



A lawyer’s duty to provide access to justice doesn’t just begin and end at the office.  I firmly believe that we have a responsibility to help the most vulnerable: those who cannot afford to hire a lawyer access the courthouse.  Every year I donate many hours of time as a pro bono volunteer attorney to help those in need access justice.  Many of my pro bono clients have family law problems ranging from marriage dissolutions to child custody to domestic violence.  When you think about the nature of those problems, they are ones that cut to the core of our being and are some of the most personal any of us may ever have to face.  All too often, the most vulnerable of our society face these problems alone, and are the most heavily stricken.  There is nothing more rewarding in my profession than seeing hope restored to someone who had long ago given up.  By giving our time and our unique skill, we as lawyers must help those in need, and by doing so, we will make this world a better place.

I grew up in Eastern Washington on an apple and pear orchard near Yakima.  I attended the University of Washington where I studied political science.  After graduation, I was ready for a change of pace and I started law school in Missoula, Montana at the University of Montana.  After three years, I graduated with my law degree and also a master’s degree in public administration.  I was hired by, then Attorney General, Christine Gregoire as an Assistant Attorney General in Olympia, Washington.  I worked for the Department of Labor and Industries for two years doing worker’s compensation litigation all over southwest Washington before joining MBC.

Outside my practice, I stay busy with family and adventure.  My passions include skiing, off road motorcycling, sailing, running, and travel.  My wife, daughter, and I tend to enjoy just about all outdoor activities.  I love being near the water, whether it’s sailing, scuba diving, wakeboarding or exploring Puget Sound.  I’ve climbed Mt. Rainier, Mt. Adams, and Mt. Hood.  I try to motorcycle as much as I can, often riding local enduro races or just trail riding for fun with friends.  Recently I rode my motorcycle off road across Baja, Mexico.  In the winter I spend as much time as I can in the Crystal Mountain backcountry chasing fresh snow.