Australian snowboarder Brooke Day died on January 30 in a very tragic and unusual accident at the Tsugaike Mountain Resort in Japan. Now, authorities are sharing more details about the tragedy.
The incident arose while riding a ski lift with friends when a buckle on her backpack, which was the unfastened waist belt, ended up getting caught on the lift carriage.
This happened while she tried to get off. Since her chest strap was fastened, the backpack stayed attached to her body, and that left her suspended in mid-air as the lift continued to move.
Resort staff noticed she was hanging nearly 26 feet above the ground and hit the emergency stop button, bringing the lift to a stop.
This took nearly 15 minutes for rescuers to reach her and free her from the lift. She was then transported to a hospital, where she suffered from a serious cardiac arrest and passed away from her injuries.
Investigators from Japan's infrastructure ministry and the resort operator are still reviewing the matter. Brooke happened to be on vacation at the time, and now her family is mourning her shocking loss.