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Man falls from Purgatory lift

Identity of skier not released

A man fell about 30 feet from the Purgatory Village Express lift about 1 p.m. Friday, but details of the incident and the extent of the man’s injuries have not been released by officials.

The man’s name was not released because of privacy protections in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, said Scot Davis, spokesman for the Durango Fire Protection District, the lead agency at the scene.

The man was taken to Mercy Regional Medical Center in critical medical condition by ground ambulance because Flight for Life was unavailable, Davis said.

Chris Burke, spokesman with La Plata County Sheriff’s Office, said deputies responded, but he directed any questions about the incident to Durango Fire.

Amanda Anderson, associate marketing director with Mountain Capital Partners, which owns Purgatory, issued a statement in an email: “On Friday, February 21, at approximately 1:00 p.m. Purgatory Resort Ski Patrol responded to a report of a guest falling from Purgatory Village Express ski lift. Ski Patrol followed care protocol until approximately 1:30 p.m. when care was transferred to Durango Fire and Rescue. No other details are available through the resort; all inquiries may be directed to Mercy Regional Medical Center.”

Mercy Regional Medical Center spokeswoman Sarah Silvernail said the hospital does not provide comments about patients unless a full name can be provided.

parmijo@durangoherald.com



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