An Australian woman died following a freak accident that occurred on a ski lift at a Japanese resort in recent days. While 22-year-old Brooke Day’s death is undoubtedly tragic, raising awareness in regard to what happened can hopefully prevent similar scenarios from taking place in the future.

According to a report from BBC, the incident unfolded at Tsugaike Mountain Resort and involved Day becoming suspended in midair when her backpack got caught on a lift mechanism. Per their report, an unfastened buckle on her backpack got hooked to the chair while her backpack’s chest strap was still fastened. When she tried to get off the lift, her stuck backpack resulted in her getting dragged off the ground as the lift turned the corner.

A resort employee pressed the emergency button to stop the lift, but 22-year-old Brooke Day ultimately went into cardiac arrest and died.

Colorado’s skiing and snowboarding community may remember a similar scenario that unfolded at Arapahoe Basin in 2017 when a 30-year-old’s backpack waist-strap got stuck on a lift, also resulting in that individual getting pulled into the air. In that instance, the skier’s buckled chest strap moved up to his neck, choking him out and resulting in loss of consciousness. Tragedy in this incident was prevented by the heroic actions of professional slackliner Mickey Wilson, who scaled a tower ladder and climbed 30 feet along the lift’s cable hand-over-hand to ultimately cut the stuck individual loose with a pocketknife tossed up by a ski patroller who was below. The skier involved survived and Wilson was given a Carnegie Hero Award for his actions that day.

Both of these incidents – one fatal and one nearly fatal – highlight the risks associated with wearing backpacks and other loose gear on ski lifts. While this type of scenario isn’t happening on a regular basis, both serve as a good reminder to ensure that all gear is free from the lift before getting off at the top. Prior to disembarking from a lift, do a quick check of gear. Securing dangling straps prior to getting on a lift is also a good idea.

Condolences go out to those impacted by Brooke Day’s tragic death.

STAY INFORMED: Get free Colorado news with our daily newsletter (Click here)