Tripp Fay/Copper Mountain Resort
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Copper Mountain’s Rocky Mountain Coaster is known as a mild, family-friendly attraction. But a 60-year-old Texas woman suffered life-altering injuries while riding it last week, her lawyers allege.
Nicola Parker was thrown out of her coaster cart during a ride on Monday, Aug. 17, according to the Bloch Ongert law firm. Parker was ejected at a turn on the track despite wearing a seat belt, her attorneys claim. Carts travel up to 25 mph along the curves of the mountain, including 360-degree turns, dips and zig-zags, according to Copper Mountain’s website.
Entangled by her seat belt, Parker was reportedly dragged down the metal track as the cart continued moving. Her clothes were torn off, and her husband was in the cart behind Parker, watching “helplessly” in “sheer terror” as her body was pulled along, her lawyers said in a release on Wednesday, Aug. 26.
Parker suffered a traumatic brain injury, a collapsed lung punctured by a broken rib, a separated shoulder, and deep lacerations all over her body, according to Bloch Ongert. She remains in the hospital.
“This is a horrific incident that should have never occurred,” Parker’s attorney Joseph Bloch said in the release. “Parker had her seat belt fastened at all times, and followed all instructions provided by Copper Mountain. There is simply no way she should have been ejected from the coaster.”
Copper Mountain shut down the Rocky Mountain Coaster on Aug. 17. The ride remains closed as of Aug. 26.
Copper confirmed the incident in a statement to Westword, though they declined to provide details about what happened.
“When members of [Copper Mountain Patrol] arrived, the guest was seated in the cart with their seat belt fastened,” the statement reads. “Patrol assisted the guest to the base area, where care was transferred to Summit Fire & EMS. … Copper is unable to provide any additional information. Our thoughts are with the guest, and we wish them a speedy recovery.”
The Colorado Division of Oil & Public Safety is investigating the incident. The state agency’s Amusement Rides & Devices Program is responsible for overseeing amusement rides.
The state has no record of any similar incidents happening on the Rocky Mountain Coaster before, according to a division spokesperson. Copper Mountain has operated the coaster since 2017.
The Rocky Mountain Coaster and a similar ride operating at the Purgatory Resort in Durango will remain closed pending the outcome of the investigation.
“If the investigation determines the operator is out of compliance with any rules or regulations, we may issue a notice of violation that could potentially include fines and/or an order to discontinue the ride until all violations are satisfactorily corrected,” the division spokesperson says.
Parker’s lawyers argue that the coaster’s own safety mechanisms prove that she was not at fault for the incident. Signage on the ride states that the coaster cart will stop and beep if a rider unfastens their seat belt; since Parker’s cart did not stop even after she was ejected, it confirms her seat belt was fastened during the entire ride, explains Parker’s attorney Trenton Ongert.
Advertised as the second-longest alpine coaster in North America, the ride is 5,800 feet long and descends 430 vertical feet, according to Copper Mountain. Riders have access to a manual hand brake to control the speed of their cart.
Children as young as 9 years old are allowed to ride the coaster on their own, according to Copper’s website. Children ages 3 to 8 can ride as passengers if they’re at least 3 feet tall.
Parker has undergone three surgeries to treat her injuries so far: two for her punctured lung and one for her shoulder.
“Parker is just beginning her medical treatment caused by this incident, and her doctors continue to discover new injuries and complications that have required additional surgeries,” Bloch said. “This incident will have a severe impact on her, both physically and emotionally, for the rest of her life.”
No lawsuit has been filed as of Aug. 26 as Parker awaits the results of the investigation. Officials expect the investigation will take at least one to two months to complete.
