PRINCETON, MASS. (WHDH) - A skier died after a crash at the Wachusett Mountain ski resort Monday morning, according to officials.
The Westminster Fire Department said first responders were called to the ski area around 10:30 a.m. after an adult male skier was found unresponsive by another person on the slopes.
“The initial call came in from somebody riding up the chairlift, going to the top of the mountain to go skiing,” said Fire Chief Kyle Butterfield.
Mountain officials said the ski patrol responded immediately and located the 67-year-old man in the area of Oxbow Chute, a black diamond route among the trees about halfway up Wachusett. Ski patrol members rendered aid as they brought the skier to the bottom of the mountain, where he was later pronounced dead. Officials said the man, who was wearing a helmet, appeared to have crashed into a tree.
“If they could’ve, they would’ve saved him,” said Wachusett Mountain Ski Area co-owner Carolyn Crowley Stimpson. “They did CPR immediately, all the way down to the base area, put him on the ambulance.”
“A member of our family is lost and you can see it in our guests’ faces, our employees – we’re all broken up, it’s a tragic accident,” she said.
Authorities have not yet fully identified the skier, who they said was from Shrewsbury.
Skiers who spoke with 7NEWS on Monday said their thoughts and prayers were with the man’s family
“I’m really, really sad for the people involved and the rescue team that had to come in and try to help,” said skier Mary Penniman. “Today is not a happy day – for the family, our hearts go out to the family.”
With the accident still under investigation, a spokesperson for the Office of Worcester County District Attorney said an autopsy would be performed the determine the exact cause of death.
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