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Dutch girl (9) fell out of Winterberg ski lift: bracket was not closed

That’s what the German police say to RTL News. The girl is still in the hospital, but is not in danger to life.


The German police do not assume a technical defect on the elevator. “It has probably been a human error.”

Not the first time

It is not the first time that a child has fallen out of a ski lift. At the end of last year a 12-year-old Dutch boy fell from a ski lift in Sölden, Austria. He was taken to the hospital with a trauma helicopter, but luckily his injuries weren’t life threatening.


In 2016, a Russian girl (5) threatened to fall out of a lift. She slipped under the bracket from a ski lift in Kaprun. Her ski instructor could still grab her by the arm, but she was unable to pull the child up again.

Captured by skiers

In the end shot a Dutch skier to the rescue. He and another skier stood under the stationary lift and managed to catch the girl. She was only slightly injured.


And in 2018 a 6-year-old girl fell out of a ski lift in Germany. She made a fall of 9 meters and was seriously injured.

Extra bracket or bar

According to a spokesman for the Dutch Ski Association (NSkiV) it happens ‘a few times a year’ that a child falls out of the ski lift. “Ski areas are also working to prevent this, by making the lifts safer. For example, by adding an extra bracket or bar to prevent children from sliding under it.”

But not all lifts are equipped with this. “In most ski areas that really focus on families, you see that more is being done. But also as a parent or supervisor there are a number of things to look out for when you step into a ski lift with a child.”


With a child in the ski lift? You should pay attention to this:

  • Are you coming to the chairlift for the first time? Then explain to the child how to get into the elevator and what exactly will happen. Remember that they do not yet know what is going to happen and that everything is new.
  • The first time it is wise to take over the child’s sticks so that they are not in the way
  • When getting in, make sure that the child sits properly in the back of the seat. Make sure that children sit with their buttocks against the backrest. This prevents them from getting too close to the edge and preventing them from sliding out of the elevator. A little help sometimes doesn’t hurt.
  • Hold your ski pole in front of the child until the bracket is down
  • Also make sure that the braces do not fall down too quickly and make sure that the legs and arms of the child are not trapped
  • Make sure the child remains seated during the ride. Prevent children from looking back while they are in the elevator. In that case, the hips turn dangerously close to the edge of the lift. Tell children that as long as they are in the elevator they are looking ahead.
  • Taking the lift for the first time also means getting out for the first time. It is important that the children hold up slightly above their skis to prevent the points of the skis from getting stuck in the snow.

Source: nskiv.nl / sneeuwsportleraren.nl


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