An 8-year-old boy’s ski day at Winter Park Resort ended in a clinic visit on Sunday afternoon after a collision with a snowboarder left him with a concussion and facial injuries. The impact knocked both the child and the rider to the snow, but the snowboarder took off instead of sticking around, according to police. A bystander helped the boy reach a ski patroller, and he was taken to East Grand Community Clinic for treatment.
As reported by Denver7, the Fraser Winter Park Police Department said the boy had been stopped on the run near Butch's Breezeway and Gangway when a middle-aged male snowboarder hit him. Officers said the rider briefly spoke with the child on the snow, then left the scene. Bystanders and ski patrol assisted the boy, and a patroller transported him to East Grand Community Clinic.
Police Are Asking For Witnesses
Fraser Winter Park Police are asking anyone who saw the crash or who can identify the snowboarder to contact the department at 970-722-7779, according to the Fraser Winter Park Police Department. Investigators say photos, video or even a solid description could help them track down the rider and sort out exactly what happened.
Hit-And-Run Cases Often Stall On The Slopes
Hit-and-run collisions at Colorado ski areas often go nowhere once the snow settles. A review by The Colorado Sun found that many incidents remain unsolved because witnesses ski off, identifying details get fuzzy and a lot of terrain is not covered by cameras. Fraser Winter Park officers have seen several similar cases over the past decade and say finding a suspect is rare without people coming forward.
What The Law Requires
Under the Colorado Ski Safety Act, anyone involved in a collision that causes injury has to stay at the scene and give their name and current address to ski patrol or a ski-area employee. Walking away can be charged as a petty offense under C.R.S. 33-44-109. The statute also limits what injured people can recover from ski-area operators for risks considered inherent to the sport, though it does not completely block potential claims against another skier or rider in certain situations.
Resort Safety And Next Steps
Winter Park Resort’s safety guidance tells guests to “stay in control” and only stop where they can be seen, and notes that ski patrol works with local law enforcement when an incident is reported, according to Winter Park Resort. Anyone with information about Sunday’s collision is urged to call Fraser Winter Park Police at 970-722-7779 or reach out using the department’s non-emergency line.
