Granby Ranch Ski Lift Death Caused By Electronic Drive

The fatal accident that sent a woman from Texas tumbling to her death as she rode a ski lift at Ski Granby Ranch last December was caused by a recently installed electronic drive that was supposed to operate the lift. That was the conclusion of the Colorado Passenger Tramway Board, which released a 151-page report on Thursday.

Huber was visiting from San Antonio with her two daughters. She was on the Quick Draw Express lift when it started shaking violently sending her to the ground.

"The incident that occurred on December 29, 2016 at Granby Ranch was unprecedented," investigators wrote in the report. The last fatality had occurred 14 years before.

"Environmental factors, weather, and the occupants of Chair No. 58 did not contribute to the cause of the incident."

Investigators also say that the an operator at the lift altered the lift's speed, which may have also been a factor in the accident.

"According to the operator, he did not remember making any speed change prior to the incident," investigators wrote.

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"Although the data logger does not record speed changes, there is supporting evidence indicating that rapid and significant accelerations/decelerations of the lift occurred immediately prior to the incident."

The accident followed a series of modifications by a contractor to the lift's electronic drive and control system before the start of the system.

Photo Colorado Passenger Tramway Safeway Board