Man who fell 50 feet from Lagoon ride dies

FARMINGTON, Utah (KSL.com) — A man who fell an estimated 50 feet from the Sky Ride at Lagoon Amusement Park over the weekend has died.

Farmington Police Chief Wayne Hansen said his office was notified Monday morning that the 32-year-old man had passed away. Police have not yet released the man’s name.

The incident happened on Saturday. Multiple people called 911 just before 6 p.m. to report a man had fallen from the Sky Ride, a slow-moving ride used mainly to transport people from one end of the park to another, similar to a chairlift at a ski resort.

Cellphone videos and pictures recorded by other parkgoers and posted on social media show the man dangling from the outside of his chair, both of his hands holding onto the safety bar that is supposed to keep people from falling out of their seat. The man was quiet and did not appear to be making any effort to get back into the chair.

Police released a statement over the weekend saying it did not appear that the chair malfunctioned.

After he fell, the man was flown by medical helicopter to University of Utah Hospital in Salt Lake City in critical condition.

The incident remained under investigation Monday with several questions unanswered, including whether the man intentionally fell to the ground or if it was an accident. Hansen said the man had gone to the park with other family members but was on the Sky Ride alone at the time of the incident. Toxicology tests will be conducted as part of the autopsy, he said.

“We don’t know why he did that or what was going on,” Hansen said. “We just don’t know.”