A 51-year-old man from Glendora, Calif., died after falling from a chairlift at Heavenly Mountain Resort on Monday afternoon, and his newlywed wife was injured in the incident, authorities said.
Mark Alan Dickson fell about 50 feet from the Tamarack Express chairlift about 1:50 p.m., according to reports from Heavenly and the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office.
The incident remains under investigation, but an apparent malfunction of the Heavenly Flyer ZipRider caused a retrieval rope from the zip line to become entangled with the chairlift, said El Dorado County Sheriff's Lt. Les Lovell.
The rope - used to bring the ZipRider's harnesses back to the top of the ride - apparently caught the chair's safety bar, pulled the bar open and caused the chair to swing, Lovell said. The swinging chair pitched Dickson onto the dirt and rocks below, Lovell said.
An autopsy is expected later this week.
The woman, 47-year-old Rebecca Gonzaga, suffered a leg injury and was taken to Barton Memorial Hospital for treatment. Her injuries were not considered life-threatening.
The couple were on their honeymoon.
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