New Jersey teen dies after falling from ski lift at Blue Mountain resort
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A 17-year-old New Jersey boy died on New Year’s Day after he plunged at least 20 feet from a ski chairlift at Blue Mountain Resort in Pennsylvania, the coroner’s office said.
Connor Golembiewski was on the chairlift at the popular ski resort in the Pocono Mountains when he fell and hit the ground below about 11:30 a.m., NJ.com reported. He was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Carbon County Coroner Robert Miller Jr. said the teen died from multiple blunt force trauma and his death was ruled an accident. Miller said Golembiewski fell about 20 feet, though other reports indicated the drop was nearly double the distance.
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It’s unclear if Golembiewski was using the lift bar at the time of the fall, which helps lock skiers in the lift as it transports them up the slopes. The teen reportedly landed on rocks, causing injuries to his head, back and ribs, according to WFMZ.
Golembiewski was in his junior year at Hunterdon Central Regional High School and part of the New Jersey Renegades Hockey Club.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“The NJ Renegades mourn the tragic loss of one of their players, Connor Golembiewski, who passed away tragically on New Year’s Day in in a skiing accident,” the team wrote in a statement on its website. “Connor was a Renegade starting at the age of 9 playing squirts thru bantams with the Renegades. He was a loyal, hardworking, respectful player that gave his all every time he came to the rink.”
Renegades coach Cliff Graziano mourned the teen’s death in a Facebook post, saying he lost “a friend” on Tuesday.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“I had the privilege to coach Connor since the age of 8. I was just on the ice with him 2 days ago doing a lesson with him and his friends,” Graziano said in his post. “I often tell my players that I'm their coach and we'll be friends when they are done playing for me.”
“Yesterday I lost a friend. This is incredibly difficult to accept and understand,” he added.
Golembiewski’s death follows two other fatal incidents at the resort last year, NJ.com reported.