A 60-year-old woman from Texas is being treated for serious injuries after she was allegedly ejected from her seat on a roller coaster at Copper Mountain Resort in Colorado. According to reports, Nicki Parker remained strapped into her seat belt as the Rocky Mountain Coaster continued to move, dragging her along the track for 20 to 30 seconds.
Parker suffered a broken rib, a collapsed lung, a traumatic brain injury, and a dislocated shoulder that required surgery. Her attorney, Trent Ongert of the Bloch Ongert Injury Law, stated that Parker was thrown from her seat and dragged along the track as it descended.
Ongert said that Parker's husband, who was riding behind her, attempted to help her after she was thrown from the ride. He explained that Parker was lying on the track and had to be pulled to safety by her husband, who was about 15 to 20 feet off the ground.
The incident is currently under investigation by Colorado's Division of Oil and Public Safety's Amusement Rides and Devices Program. The Rocky Mountain Coaster, which is 5,800 feet long and bills itself as the "2nd longest alpine coaster in North America," has been closed pending the outcome of the investigation. A similar ride operating at the Purgatory Resort is also closed.
The resort has issued a statement expressing concern for Parker's well-being and wishing her a speedy recovery. The investigation is ongoing, and documentation involving the incident will not be made public until it is complete.
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