The family of a teen whose arm was trapped in a piece of machinery at a northwest suburban Algonquin snowboard park says he's listed in stable condition but facing a long recovery.
An employee at a snowboard park in was injured Sunday afternoon after he became trapped in a piece of machinery.
The 17-year-old employee was at the top of a beginner hill at Raging Buffalo Ski Park Sunday afternoon when he became trapped in a conveyor lift just before 3 p.m., according to Battalion Chief John Greene with the Algonquin-Lake in the Hills Fire Protection District. The victim's family released a statement Monday thanking the emergency responders for their "compassion and care," along with "all of our son's friends and the staff at Raging Buffalo for the kind expressions of concern and best wishes for a speedy recovery."
Greene said it took crews an hour to free the employee and that officials had to carry equipment up the hill to rescue him.
“It took a little bit of doing but we were able to get him out,” he said.
Witnesses said several ambulances arrived at the scene as park officials escorted skiers and snowboarders off the hill.
One witness said the employee’s arm was stuck in a gear shaft on the Magic Carpet Ride.
“It was mangled in the gears,” said Griffin Flack.
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The man was then air-lifted to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge for treatment, Greene said.
His condition was not immediately known but officials said the accident remains under investigation.
