Snowboarder dies after falling from ski chairlift at Red Lodge Mountain in Montana
Snowboarder dies after falling from ski chairlift at Red Lodge Mountain in Montana
A snowboarder at a southern Montana ski resort was killed Monday after falling from a chair lift, according to a social media post from the ski resort where it happened.
'Yesterday was an unfortunate day at Red Lodge Mountain as a guest was injured as the result of a chair lift incident,' the resort shared on Facebook Tuesday morning, adding that the guest was on the Triple Chair. 'Our thoughts and prayers are with the guest and his friends and family, and all guests and employees impacted by this incident.'
Loved ones and Carbon County Sheriff Josh McQuillan identified the man as 37-year-old Jeffrey Zinne.
He died after a fall from the Triple Chair at Red Lodge Mountain, Sheriff McQuillan said Friday, adding that the accident remains under investigation.
According to KTVQ, the coroner's office said his cause of death was accidental blunt force injury.
He was life-flighted to a hospital in Billings, where he died on Wednesday, according to Esther Jensen, a GoFundMe organizer raising funds for his family.
Chairlift was shut down following man's death
He was pronounced dead early Wednesday morning, KTVQ reported.
The resort shut down the Triple Chair after the accident, according to the company's statement.
'(The Triple Chair) will reopen only when we can ensure the continued safe operation of the lift,' Red Lodge Mountain said in its statement this week.
The resort said in its statement that safety is a 'top priority' and the company has daily, weekly, monthly, and annual safety measures in place to make sure its guests are safe.
Neither the coroner nor Red Lodge Mountain immediately responded to USA TODAY's requests for comment Friday morning.
Tragic accident: 5 dead, including 2 children, after 17-vehicle crash in Austin; several others injured
Meteorologist says there were strong winds in the area the day man died
USA TODAY spoke with Peter Matos, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Billings Friday morning.
While the National Weather Service doesn't have a weather observation site at Red Lodge Mountain, there are some close by, Matos said. One site is the Timbercrest site, Matos said. Around 11:15 a.m. on Monday, the Timbercrest site recorded wind gusts up to 50 miles-per-hour, coming in from the west. At 12:15 p.m. that day, the site recorded wind gusts around 52 miles-per-hour. Citing local reports, Matos said Zinne fell around noon.
'Those winds, they can make it over onto the other side of the mountain,' Matos said to USA TODAY on Friday. 'Red Lodge is known for having strong downslope winds out of the southwest. We know that it was pretty windy across the entire area that day.'
A sweep of Red Lodge Mountain's Facebook page shows that facility managers have previously shut down lifts due to strong winds and maintenance. For example, a January 2021 post reads in part: 'Due to winds of 49+MPH at the top of Triple Chair, all lifts are currently on hold.'
'Love you, Dada guy': Remembering Jeffrey Zinne
In the GoFundMe description, organizers said Zinne's death was a 'tragic accident.'
'This unexpected loss has left his family, friends, and all who knew him heartbroken and in disbelief,' Jensen, the organizer, wrote. 'Jeff was a devoted husband to his loving wife, Meghan, and a caring father to his 2-year-old son. His passion for life, infectious laughter, and kind-hearted nature touched everyone around him.'
According to Jensen, he put others before himself and was president of Montana Air Cartage. The company offers local shipping services and has been in business since the late 1980s, according to their website.
Jensen shared in the fundraiser description that Zinne's widow and the couple's son are grieving while also facing mounting financial burdens.
'Your contribution will make a significant difference in providing financial stability for Jeff's family,' Jensen wrote. 'All funds raised will go directly to his wife and son to help with funeral costs and medical expenses.'
The fundraiser ended with a note from the couple's toddler son: "Love you, Dada Guy".
Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Email her at sdmartin@usatoday.com.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Yahoo
Who were Olivia, Evelyn and Paityn Decker? Community mourns amid manhunt
A Washington state community is grieving the deaths of three young sisters who police believe were killed by their father, whose whereabouts are unknown. Paityn Decker, 9; Evelyn Decker, 8; and Olivia Decker, 5, were reported missing by their mother on May 30 after failing to return from a planned visitation with their father, 32-year-old Travis Decker. Authorities found their bodies on June 2 near their father's unoccupied vehicle near the Rock Island Campground in Chelan County. Local, state and federal officials continue to search for Travis, who is wanted on charges of kidnapping, first-degree murder and custodial interference. Authorities released new photos and videos of the suspect and are asking for the public's help as the manhunt continues. Since the tragedy, the community of the Wenatchee Valley has rallied behind the girl's mother, Whitney Decker. A GoFundMe page has raised nearly $1 million in financial support for Whitney as of Thursday, June 5. "We ask for grace at this time. Whitney is grieving the unimaginable," said family friend Amy Edwards, who organized the GoFundMe page, at a news conference June 5. "When one mother cries, we all cry and hold her in our heart. Thank you for holding Whitney in your hearts now." Olivia Decker, 5; Evelyn Decker, 8; and Paityn Decker, 9 were three sisters in the Wenatchee Valley. In addition to playing sports and attending school in the city of Wenatchee, the three girls were involved in the local art scene through performance and dance. They performed at the Music Theatre of Wenatchee through a children's program known as "Short Shakespeareans" and practiced dance at the city's Fabulous Feet Dance Studio. Edwards, the director of the "Short Shakespeareans" program and whose daughter was on the dance team with Evelyn, said the community will forever ache with the love for the girls. "This valley helped nurture the creativity, confidence and joy that Paityn and Evelyn and Olivia shined so brightly," Edwards told reporters. "Their laughter, curiosity and spirit left a mark on all of us. They were the kind of children that everyone rooted for, looked for, looked forward to seeing and held close in their hearts. They are cherished, not just by the family, but by our entire community who watched them grow, perform, learn and love." Fellow organizer Mark Belton thanked the generosity shown for the family adding that "compassion has been a source of light in this dark hour." The Music Theatre of Wenatchee held a candlelight vigil on June 3 at Wenatchee's Memorial Park. Dozens of children attending the vigil knew the girls either through the dance program, sports or other programs, according to Seattle station KING-TV. "She was really nice. She was a really good dancer. I really think she was a really good friend," 8-year-old Lilly Jones, who danced with Evelyn, told the outlet. "I really miss her and I just think it was too early." Missy Jones, Lilly's mother, told the outlet she became friends with Whitney after meeting in college and reconnected last fall because of their daughters. "Those girls were her whole world. She did everything for them," Jones said. "Obviously it's hard. I've been really proud of the girls being really supportive of each other and giving each other hugs and talking about their memories of their friends." Contributing: Natalie Neysa Alund This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Community mourns deaths of Olivia, Evelyn, Paityn Decker amid search
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Yahoo
Why wasn't an Amber Alert sent for the 3 sisters found dead in Washington?
The deaths of three girls in Washington state whose mother reported them missing after their father didn't return them from a custodial visit, has prompted cries for reform because an Amber Alert was never sent for the sisters. The bodies of Paityn Decker, 9; Evelyn Decker, 8; and Olivia Decker, 5, were discovered on June 2 – just days after they were reported missing by their mother, Whitney Decker. The three girls did not return home from a planned visitation with their father, Travis Decker, a former military member who is homeless and was living out of a pickup. Authorities found the girls' bodies about 75 to 100 yards away from their father's unoccupied vehicle near the Rock Island Campground in Chelan County, about 148 miles east of Seattle. The FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Marshals, and U.S. Border Patrol have joined the search for Travis Decker, whose whereabouts remain unknown. Now, Whitney Decker is calling for changes to Washington state's Amber Alert system and improvements in mental health care for veterans as the search for the man stretched into its sixth day on June 6, according to reports. Washington State Patrol was originally contacted on May 30 to request an Amber Alert, but the situation "did not meet the required criteria" at the time, Wenatchee police said. The agency instead issued a statewide Endangered Missing Person Alert (EMPA) for the girls on May 31. As authorities intensify the search for Travis Decker, 32, a family attorney told local media outlets that Whitney Decker believes her daughters might still be alive had an Amber Alert been issued in the hours after they were reported missing. "She really feels that the system let her children down," Attorney Arianna Cozart said in an interview with KING 5. "It was the inadequacies in the services for our veterans that killed those children." Court filings revealed that Travis Decker had exhibited mental health issues prior to the girls' deaths. Cozart told The Seattle Times that Travis Decker had been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and complex post-traumatic stress disorder after leaving active service. "They did not see him as an immediate physical danger to his children, despite the fact that he had a well established history of mental health issues," Cozart added. "And had they had seen it that way, those children might still be alive. And that's the thing that is so brutal, and the one thing she's really hoping can be changed in this tragedy." Cozart did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for comment on June 5. 'One too many': Death of 3 girls in Travis Decker's custody is a familiar tragedy Chris Loftis, spokesperson for the Washington State Patrol, reiterated to USA TODAY that the request for an Amber Alert did not meet the system's guidelines, which are set by the U.S. Department of Justice. He said that, similar to other states, Washington's system has "specific criteria" to ensure that features of the program are only used in instances where the standards have been met. According to Loftis, the criteria include: "The person(s) must be 17 or younger." "The incident must be investigated by a law enforcement agency, and the subject must be entered into the National Crime Information Center." "There must be enough descriptive information that activating the alert will assist in the recovery." "There must be reason to believe the person has been abducted." "The missing person(s) must be known to be in danger of imminent serious bodily injury or death." While the first three criteria were met, Loftis said Travis Decker had limited custodial rights, and there was not immediate legal presumption that the girls were abducted when the Amber Alert requests were submitted on May 30 and May 31. He added that law enforcement does not "automatically have clear indication that the children are in danger" in situations where a custodial parent is late returning children to another parent. Loftis noted that discussions with local law enforcement did not mention danger as a concern. Citing notes from the intake specialist for Washington State Patrol's Missing and Unidentified Persons Unit, Loftis said initial and follow-up reports from local police stated there was no threat of great bodily harm or death to the children at the time. The notes also showed that Travis Decker had previously "never diverted from the parenting plan in the past" and "no alarming mental health status" had been mentioned in the reports, other than "he may be 'going through a lot' after leaving the military and weathering housing and employment issues." Though the case did not meet the Amber Alert threshold, Loftis said there was "ample concern" and State Patrol had enough information to issue the EMPA. Unlike an Amber Alert, the EMPA does not send a push notification or text message to all cell phones in the targeted area about missing children. According to Loftis, issuing an EMPA allows law enforcement to post electronic fliers, send text messages and emails to listservs of people who have requested notification on all alerts, post vehicle information on highway reader boards, and promote coverage by state broadcasters. "The State of Washington handled this incident no differently than any other state with the information they had available. But all of that said, nothing, no process, and no set of standards can protect us from all evils and horrors," Loftis said in a statement to USA TODAY. "We learn from every tragedy, and I'm sure we will review and learn from this set of tragedies, but the depth of this sorrow is beyond a learning opportunity right now, it is a tragedy first and forever." Community mourns amid manhunt: Who were Olivia, Evelyn and Paityn Decker? The three girls were found dead by apparent suffocation in a remote campground, according to the Wenatchee Police Department. Whitney Decker had reported the children missing on May 30 after they left their central Washington home to visit their father. On June 2, a Chelan County deputy found an unoccupied truck at about 3:45 p.m. local time near the Rock Island Campground. Officers found the bodies of the missing girls soon after, down a small embankment, according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by USA TODAY. While Travis Decker was nowhere to be found, investigators traced his cell phone, which revealed that he visited the same campground the day before the kidnapping, the court documents show. Travis Decker is wanted on charges of kidnapping, first-degree murder, and custodial interference in connection with the deaths, according to the Wenatchee Police Department. In an update on June 4, Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison said Travis Decker may have scoped out a hiding location before going off the grid using his extensive military and outdoor survival training. Contributing: Natalie Neysa Alund, Anthony Robledo, and Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Death of 3 Decker sisters: Why wasn't Amber Alert issued?
USA Today
17 hours ago
- USA Today
Utah can execute convicted murderer who has dementia, judge rules
Utah can execute convicted murderer who has dementia, judge rules Show Caption Hide Caption Death penalty: Which states still use capital punishment The death penalty has been used in the U.S. since 1608. But various Supreme Court rulings have limited its use. Here's why it's controversial. Just the FAQs, USA TODAY A Utah judge on June 6 ruled a 67-year-old convicted murderer diagnosed with dementia on death row is competent enough to be executed. A trial court sentenced Ralph Leroy Menzies to death in 1988 for kidnapping, robbing and murdering 26-year-old Maurine Hunsaker, a married mother with three children. Since then, Menzies has been on death row. Menzies had chosen firing squad as his method of execution, according a ruling published by KUTV. While awaiting execution, he developed vascular dementia, and his lawyers had argued he was too incompetent to be executed. In a 22-page ruling, State Judge Matthew Bates said Menzies exhibited cognitive decline. But Bates said Menzies hasn't shown that his 'understanding of his specific crime and punishment fluctuated or declined in a way to offend the Eighth Amendment' of the Constitution, which protects against cruel and unusual punishment. Discover WITNESS: Access our exclusive collection of true crime stories, podcasts, videos and more Instead, Bates said in his ruling, 'Menzies consistently and rationally understands the reasons for his death sentence.' His lawyers tried to appeal his death sentence several times. Bates said Menzies' right to appeal the ruling was exhausted in late 2023, but news outlets report Menzies' legal team plans to appeal to the state Supreme Court. 'Ralph Menzies is a severely brain-damaged, wheelchair-bound, 67-year-old man with dementia and significant memory problems,' Lindsey Layer, a lawyer for Menzies, said in a statement published by multiple news outlets. 'It is deeply troubling that Utah plans to remove Mr. Menzies from his wheelchair and oxygen tank to strap him into an execution chair and shoot him to death.' USA TODAY has contacted Layer for comment. In an emailed statement, Madison McMicken, a spokesperson for the Utah Attorney General's office, said prosecutors were committed to seeking justice for Hunsaker. On Feb. 23, 1986, Menzies murdered Hunsaker while she was working as a cashier at a gas station in Salt Lake County, according to court records. He abducted her and stabbed her to death, leaving her body in the woods outside of Salt Lake City. Menzies had several past convictions for aggravated robberies before killing Hunsaker, who left behind three children, including a 6-month-old baby. Capital punishment: Supreme Court to consider use of multiple IQ tests in determining death penalty One of her children, Matt Hunsaker, was 10 when his mother was killed. He told KSLTV, a Salt Lake City TV station, that their family was one step closer to justice with the June 6 ruling. Menzies would be the sixth person executed by firing squad in the United States since 1976, according to the nonprofit Death Penalty Information Center. In 2019, the United States Supreme Court stopped the execution of an Alabama man convicted of fatally shooting a police officer because he had vascular dementia. Vernon Madison couldn't remember his crime or his punishment, justices ruled. In 2025, South Carolina executed two people by firing squad, the first such executions since 2010, when Utah last executed a person. The same day as Menzies' June 6 ruling, the Supreme Court said it would review using multiple intelligence tests to determine the death penalty against a person. Eduardo Cuevas is based in New York City. Reach him by email at emcuevas1@ or on Signal at emcuevas.01.
