Expert skier died after plunging 25 feet from icy chairlift in Colorado, lawsuit says
An expert skier plunged 25 feet off a chairlift in Colorado after an unsafe buildup of snow and ice caused him to slide from the seat, a new lawsuit says.
John Perucco, who was at Breckenridge Ski Resort with a friend in March 2023, died from his injuries en route to a hospital, according to the complaint.
The lawsuit, filed by Perucco’s widow on March 14 in state court in Colorado, says the resort was negligent and seeks unspecified damages.
A spokesperson for the resort, which is part of Vail Resorts, Inc., declined to comment on the pending litigation in a March 25 email to McClatchy News.
Perucco had 46 years of skiing experience and served as a volunteer ski patrol member, according to the complaint.
He got on the Zendo chairlift not long after it opened on March 17, 2023, and then “slid off the chair due to unsafe snow and ice accumulation on the seat” before reaching the first pole, the complaint said. He plummeted about 25 feet, “landing on hardpack snow and suffering critical injuries,” including neck, rib and clavicle fractures, and multiple internal injuries, according to the complaint.
Perucco tried “to remedy the dangerous snow and ice on his seat by clearing it off with his hand,” but then slid off “suddenly and without warning,” the complaint said.
The ice and snow “had remained on the chair lift seat since the previous night,” and staff members were reckless in not observing and fixing it, the complaint said.
“As a direct and proximate result of defendants’ negligent, reckless, and unlawful acts and omissions, Mr. Perucco suffered injuries resulting in death,” the complaint said.
The resort also didn’t notify the state board that regulates chairlifts until more than two hours after Perucco fell, the complaint said. Because of the delay, the board couldn’t do a complete investigation as evidence was destroyed by the lift reopening, the complaint said.
Ramos Law and Kalamaya Goscha Law Firm represent Perucco’s widow, Victoria Sanko-Perucco, in the lawsuit.
Perucco and his wife met on a ski trip in 1981, and they “shared a passion for the mountains, the outdoors, and travel,” an online obituary said.
They have three daughters, and “John taught his girls to cheer for ‘Da Bears,’ love animals, and be ambitious and steadfast in their goals,” according to the obituary, which described Perucco, 60, from Illinois, as “a fine, kind man who touched many lives.”
Breckenridge is about an 80-mile drive southwest from Denver.
This story was originally published March 25, 2025 at 2:19 PM with the headline "Expert skier died after plunging 25 feet from icy chairlift in Colorado, lawsuit says."
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