UNH graduate dead after chairlift accident in Utah

By Matt Leighton

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    PARK CITY, Utah (WMUR) — A University of New Hampshire graduate is dead after being ejected from a chairlift during an accident at the Park City Mountain Resort in Utah.

Police said it happened Monday morning at the resort when a tree fell onto a lift cable and shook the chairlift Christian Helger was sitting on.

Investigators believe Helger then fell at least 25 feet into a ravine. They said it took more than 20 minutes for rescuers to reach him.

Despite life-saving measures, he died at the scene.

“Certainly, there’s a lot of questions that will come into play as far as what caused that to happen. Yes, there was a lot of snow. There could be other factors, the health of the tree, the proximity of the tree, all of those types of things,” said Capt. Andrew Wright with Summit County Sheriff’s Department.

Helger graduated from UNH in 2016 with a degree in outdoor education. UNH said Helger was working as a ski patroller when the accident happened.

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