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
New York Post
3 hours ago
- New York Post
Arizona influencer Yarely Ashley Hermosillo, 27, killed in front of her child after getting caught in road rage argument between other drivers
Popular influencer Yarely Ashley Hermosillo was fatally shot in front of her toddler and partner after getting caught up in a road rage incident involving other drivers in Glendale, Ariz. She was 27. The social media star, who boasted more than 144,000 followers on Instagram, was struck by a stray bullet with her four-year-old son next to her during the altercation Friday. The road rage incident kick-started after two other drivers got into a heated dispute at a red light stop, prompting Jesus Preciado Dousten to allegedly open fire. 4 Influencer Yarely Ashley Hermosillo was fatally shot in front of her toddler and partner after getting caught up in a road rage incident involving other drivers in Glendale, Ariz. @yaredream/TikTok Glendale police have arrested Dousten, 33, on several charges including second-degree murder in connection with Hermosillo's death, local outlet AZFamily reports. Officials said Dousten, who was driving a pickup truck, got into a fierce exchange with another driver before whipping out a handgun and firing a random shot. According to police, the shot entered Hermosillo's vehicle through the passenger-side window and struck her in the head as she pulled up in the lane beside him, unaware of the danger. The social media star, who was sitting in the passenger seat while her partner drove, was then rushed to the hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries. 4 The social media star, 27, was struck by a stray bullet with her four-year-old son next to her during the altercation Friday. Yarely Hermosillo / Facebook 'My question still is, why would you just randomly shoot the other way? He obviously didn't know the other car was there,' Glendale Police Sergeant Brian Hoskins told the local outlet. 'That's the thing, as gun owners, you have to know where you're shooting, what you're pointing at. You know, those are the responsibilities of being a responsible gun owner. You can't just fire rounds randomly throughout. Specifically, a high, highly populated city.' Hoskins added that Dousten was identified as the owner of the vehicle involved in the shooting. After cops obtained a warrant to search his apartment, two handguns were discovered and Dousten was arrested. 4 Glendale police have arrested Dousten, 33, on several charges including second-degree murder in connection with Hermosillo's death. Glendale PD The Post has reached out to the Glendale Police Department for comment. The influencer was known for regularly sharing cooking and lifestyle videos on her social media accounts, which in total had amassed over 300,000 followers across Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Hermosillo's heartbroken loved ones have since kick-started a GoFundMe page to raise funds for funeral expenses. The content creator was remembered as 'a loving wife, a devoted mother, and a beautiful soul whose light touched everyone who knew her.' 'She leaves behind her husband and their 4-year-old son, who now face an unimaginable loss,' the page reads. 4 The road rage incident kick-started after two other drivers got into a heated dispute at a red light stop, prompting Dousten to allegedly open fire. Arizonas Family (3TV / CBS 5) 'Yarely's greatest joy in life was being a mother, and she poured her heart into caring for her little boy.' 'She was an innocent victim caught in the middle of a road rage incident between others, leaving her family and friends devastated,' her family added.
New York Post
6 hours ago
- New York Post
Husband witnesses wife's killer be executed 43 years after her death: ‘I made a promise'
A grieving husband witnessed the Tuesday execution of the man who abducted and killed his wife from a Florida insurance office over four decades ago — stating he 'made a promise' to see her tragic case through. Randy White, 70, lost his wife, Janet Renee White, after she was abducted, raped, and stabbed to death by Kayle Bates in 1982 — just minutes after he last said goodbye to her, USA Today reported. 3 Randy White, 70, lost his wife, Janet Renee White, after she was abducted by Kayle Bates in 1982. The attack happened just minutes after he last said goodbye to her. Randy White Advertisement Bates, 67, died by lethal injection at 6:17 p.m. Tuesday at Florida State Prison under a death warrant signed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. It was the state's 10th death sentence carried out in 2025. The execution gave the widower long-awaited relief that he had finally reached the end of a nearly 43-year battle for justice in his wife's killing. 'I made a promise to her right after it happened that I would be there for every trial, every hearing, every appeal, and that as long as I was living, I would seek justice for her,' White told the outlet after the execution. Advertisement He was only 27 when he lost his wife, who was the youngest of five siblings and always dreamed of having kids and her own business, the outlet reported. 'I feel a relief that I can mentally let Renee know that justice has finally been served for her, and that's mentally what I need. It's always been for her,' he said. 3 When police arrived after the abduction, they found Bates covered in blood with her wedding ring in his pocket. AP Bates was convicted of first-degree murder, kidnapping, armed robbery, and attempted sexual battery in the June 14, 1982 killing of Janet White in Bay County in the Florida Panhandle. Advertisement Bates abducted White from the State Farm insurance office where she worked, took her into the woods behind the building, attempted to rape her, stabbed her to death, and tore a diamond ring from one of her fingers, according to court documents. 'Bates attacked her, but Renee fought back,' according to court records obtained by the outlet. 'Despite her best efforts, Bates overpowered Renee and forced her into the woods behind the office.' Within 15 minutes of saying goodbye to Renee, he got a call from the authorities about an emergency at her office. 'He looked at me and said, 'Mr. White, I don't know any easy way to say this … but your wife's been murdered,'' White remembered. 'I completely lost it.' Advertisement When police arrived, they found Bates covered in blood with her wedding ring in his pocket, documents showed. Attorneys for Bates had filed appeals with the Florida Supreme Court and the US Supreme Court, as well as a federal lawsuit claiming DeSantis' process for signing death warrants was discriminatory. 3 Randy White was only 27 when he lost his wife, who was the youngest of five siblings and always dreamed of having kids and her own business. Family Handout Veterans groups had also asked the Florida Gov to spare Bates from the death penalty because of his six-year military service in the National Guard, the outlet reported. Florida has executed more people than any other state this year, while Texas and South Carolina are tied for second place with four each. Bates declined to give last words at his execution and turned down his last meal, the outlet said. Florida executions are carried out using a three-drug lethal injection: a sedative, a paralytic, and a drug that stops the heart, according to the state Department of Corrections. Advertisement White described the execution as 'straightforward and quick.' With Post wires.
New York Post
6 hours ago
- New York Post
Military deserter roommates allegedly confess to killing, dismembering missing Army vet: ‘I don't f–king regret it'
A pair of military deserters allegedly slaughtered and dismembered a member of their Army unit and dispersed parts of his corpse along a highway in New Mexico — and the one that pulled trigger said it was 'not a hard decision for him.' Rainor Joiner, 23, and David Degroat, 22, were both arrested by the Taos County Sheriff Department and allegedly confessed to murdering Matthew McLaughlin, a 25-year-old US Army veteran from West Virginia who was reported missing on July 31. 3 Army veteran Matthew McLaughlin, 25, was reported missing on July 31. The three men were all living together in New Mexico after serving in the same unit at Fort Benning in Georgia. Joiner and Degroat allegedly had active warrants out for their desertion. It's unclear how and when McLaughlin may have been relieved of service. Joiner allegedly told authorities he was fed up with McLaughlin for 'speaking ill of him, bringing random people to the residence, and the use of narcotics at the residence,' according to a criminal complaint obtained by KRQE. 3 Rainor Joiner allegedly told authorities he killed McLaughlin and didn't 'regret it.' Taos County Adult Detention Center The deserter and supposed mastermind behind the violent murder had apparently threatened to kill Degroat too if he didn't help or if he snitched, according to a confession signed by Joiner. Joiner allegedly confessed that he shot McLaughlin with Degroat's help, adding that 'I did it, I f–ked him, and I don't f–king regret it,' according to KOB. He also allegedly said killing his roommate was 'not a hard decision for him,' the documents state. Degroat contended that Joiner forced him to assist with the grisly murder and lure McLaughlin into an ambush while he was walking home with groceries. He allegedly told authorities that Joiner shot McLaughlin three times with an AR-15 style rifle — once in the chest and twice in the head. Afterwards, Joiner allegedly made Degroat hold open a plastic bag to place parts of McLaughlin's dismembered corpse in. From there, they dispersed the severed body parts along Highway 64. Once they were caught at their home, Joiner led authorities to each spot where they uncovered multiple trash bags with body parts inside that were turned over to the medical examiner's office. 3 David Degroat allegedly told authorities that Joiner forced him to help ambush McLaughlin. Taos County Adult Detention Center McLaughlin's grieving family members are struggling to fathom why people he trusted enough to move cross-country with would do such a thing. 'All I want to say is, I found out that they had planned this for weeks. I'll never see my son again,' his mother, Rebecca, told the Santa Fe New Mexican. The Army veteran is survived by his mother and seven siblings, according to a GoFundMe organized by a family friend. Joiner was charged with a laundry list of felonies, including first-degree murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and aggravated battery. Degroat is facing charges of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder and tampering with evidence.
