By: Lydia Crawley
The Parsons Advocate
In an update to the story the Parsons Advocate ran last week concerning the death of a guest at the Timberline Mountain Resort on Sunday, January 4th following a purported fall from what witnesses have been describing as a six person chairlift, the Parsons Advocate has received confirmation from both Sheriff Jake Kopec and the West Virginia State Police that neither law enforcement agency was called to the scene.
The Parsons Advocate also reached out to the Tucker County Ambulance Authority for comment. Tucker County EMS Director Amanda Simmons was able to confirm that there was a unit on site at Timberline at the time of the incident and that a crew of six provided care for the traumatic arrest of a male individual in his 60’s that had fallen from the ski lift.
“We were on location at the time for our detail,” Simmons said. “The crew was there whenever the event occurred. Our hearts go out to the family. Our providers did an exceptional job.”
The death was announced by Timberline Mountain on Sunday, the 4th in a statement on Facebook after 6 p.m. The post stated that the incident was “under investigation.” The revelation that law enforcement has not been involved, lead to speculation among law enforcement of a strictly internal investigation by Timberline of the matter.
As Timberline is a private entity, there is a question of whether law enforcement could have been required to attend the incident site. While Timberline serves the public, it remains a private entity where the public is required to pay for entry.
In the post, Timberline confirmed that the death is under investigation, but did not provide any additional information surrounding the incident. No further statement has been made by Timberline on the matter.
“The incident is currently under investigation,” the post reads. “In consideration for the family’s privacy, we ask for your patience and understanding that we have no further details to share at this time.”
The Parsons Advocate has reached out to Timberline Mountain Resort for comment. However, has not received comment.
Timberline Mountain in their Facebook post sent their condolences to the family, friends and loved ones of the deceased in their post. Timberline also thanked the ski patrol, mountain staff and local emergency services for their rapid, professional response to the emergency.
“Our priority is always the safety and well-being of our guests,” the post reads. “Our hearts go out to everyone affected and we thank our community for their support in the wake of this tragedy.”
