The mother of a snowboarder who died after falling nearly 50 feet from a chairlift wants to make the use of the safety bar mandatory.
32-year-old Donovan Romero fell from the lift at Keystone Ski Resort in Colorado in December sustaining multiple injuries. He died more than four months later from the resulting traumatic brain injury, having never regained consciousness.
His mother Tonette Romero now wants restraining bars to be required on all chairlifts at ski resorts and for their use to be mandatory. She also wants to see additional staff checking the bars are down and for more safety signage.
The chairlift her son was riding on did have a safety bar but it was raised when he fell off.
In a statement, Keystone Resort's vice president and general manager extended their deepest sympathies and support to Donovan's family and friends.
"I can't process. There are no regulations about sending people as high as 60 feet in the air without a requirement to making sure that they're properly restrained?" Tonette Romero told CNN "Please, just put the bar down. It can and it will save your life."