SerpApi.Org
Red Lodge Mountain, Montana, and the family of a man who died in a chairlift accident in March 2025 have reached a “mutual resolution,” according to a joint statement shared by the ski resort and the family.
The statement, which was issued by the law firm Heenan and Cook and reported by KTVQ, also said that there had been “significant public confusion” around the events leading up to the accident.
According to the statement, early reports suggested that the man, Jeff Zinne, had been "blown off" or "fell from" the Triple Chair, which climbs from Red Lodge’s base area to the mid-mountain.
But an investigation, the statement continued, concluded that “a severe wind event caused a derailment of the chairlift line, leading to a mechanical failure of equipment holding the chairlift rope, which collapsed and struck Jeff Zinne with great force.”
Zinne suffered serious injuries because of the impact before falling to the snow. In 2025, officials said that he was taken to a Billings, Montana, hospital where he died.
On the day of the accident, some of Red Lodge’s lifts were stopped in the morning because of high winds, and gusts of around 50 miles per hour were recorded in the area. After the accident, more than 100 guests were evacuated from the Triple Chair by ski patrol using ropes. The mountain was closed for the rest of the day.
“All parties recognize the profound loss suffered and the lasting impact of this tragedy,” the statement said. “It is their hope that this resolution allows space for healing and a focus on the future, while never forgetting what was lost.”
In the wake of the accident, Red Lodge has taken steps to reinforce certain lift towers and add more anemometers—instruments used for wind measurement—along the involved lift, the statement said.
While highly publicized when they happen, ski resort deaths caused by lift malfunctions are rare, per data published by the National Ski Areas Association.
According to the group, there have been 16 deaths related to nine mechanical malfunction incidents from 1973 to 2024 in the U.S., with most occurring in the 70s and 80s.
