A chairlift company is warning ski resort operators of a potential design flaw believed to have contributed to an accident that injured seven people at Sugarloaf in Maine.
Partek Ski Lifts of Pine Island, New York, issued a bulletin Thursday warning operators using Borvig and Partek lifts to check certain safety components and to pay attention to a particular electrical switch.
Engineers believe an electrical switch prevented a safety system from locking a 27-year-old Borvig chairlift in place after a mechanical failure last weekend.
The National Ski Areas Association believes about 170 lifts could be affected by the design issue. There are about 3,500 lifts in use nationwide.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
