Industry News
The family of a 9-year-old boy who died in a skiing accident in January 2021 is filing a lawsuit against Mt. Bachelor, OR.
Brecken Boice, from Tacoma, was near the summit of the mountain when he crashed around 2 pm. Ski patrol responded to the injury and took him to Mt. Bachelors First Aid Clinic, where further lifesaving care was given. He was then flown to a hospital in Bend where, despite brain surgery, he succumbed to his injuries.
The boy’s parents are suing the resort after employees allegedly told them conditions were good, and there was minimal ice. Other skiers that day, however, say there had been dangerous, icy conditions on that part of the mountain.
“Conditions are super firm and I’d say icy for the past two weeks. The precip we have been getting has been rain and with the freeze thaw there’s been nothing new in weeks.”
– Tristan Deathridge told Oregon Live
Mt. Bachelor officials said he was wearing a helmet.
“When considering opening terrain at Mt. Bachelor, safety is our number one priority. Several variables are considered in terrain management decisions. These include analysis of snow levels on different aspects of the 360-degree mountain, visibility, and the inherent conditions of the terrain. Only after these factors have been carefully assessed will terrain management decisions be made by the Mt. Bachelor team. Warnings and guest reminders are provided on the Mt. Bachelor conditions page and at the bottom and top of chairlifts and at the top of runs, where applicable.”
– Mt. Bachelor statement on the conditions that day
A GoFundMe page raised almost $60,000 to help the Boice family with medical and funeral expenses.
“Everyone at Mt. Bachelor continues to convey our deepest condolences to the family. While we cannot comment on the specifics of the case due to pending litigation, this is a tragedy which has affected our whole mountain community. Our thoughts and blessings are with the family.”
– John McLeod, Mt. Bachelor Resort President and General Manager
His dad was with him, sliding himself down the same hill as he watched it happen. Not sure who is at fault here, but you shouldn’t question someone else’s parenting habits or skills from your soapbox.
Again and again, lawsuits against ski areas by people not taking responsibility for their own actions. Tragic loss of course, but probably avoidable. Where were the parents? I was hover Dad skiing with my kids until they got to be teenagers and could handle things themselves. Mike V you are right. Lift tickets in Europe and Japan are essentially half that of the US. Skiing Big Sky for $209 a day is the price we pay for lawsuits against ski areas by sue-happy Americans.
It’s gapers like this that are the reason that lift tickets are so expensive.
Trash…