7-Year-Old Killed by Falling Boulder at Nevada Ski Resort

Diamond Peak Ski Resort in Lake Tahoe, Nev., on Feb. 2, 2019. Shutterstock

A 7-year-old girl died after being struck by a falling boulder at Diamond Peak Ski Resort in Incline Village, Nevada, according to the ski resort and local officials.

Adelyn Grimes of Reno was pronounced dead at the scene on March 29, the Washoe County Regional Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed. The cause of death was determined to be “blunt force injuries of the neck and chest,” and the manner of death was ruled accidental, according to the medical examiner’s statement to NTD, a sister media outlet of The Epoch Times.

The ski resort said in a statement released Sunday, one day after the accident, that medical services were called at approximately 3:38 p.m. to respond to a “non-skiing accident” involving a child. Diamond Peak Ski Patrol was first to respond and provide first aid while emergency services were en route, according to the statement.

Despite best efforts from the North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District and Washoe County Sheriff’s Office to save the child, she succumbed to her injuries at the scene, the resort said.

“The entire Diamond Peak Ski Resort family has been deeply affected by a tragedy that occurred Saturday, March 29, 2025, at the resort,” the statement said. “We would like to extend our heartfelt condolences to the family of the child involved, to the members of the Sugar Bowl race team, and to the entire Lake Tahoe ski racing community, all of whom have been profoundly saddened by the accident.”

The resort said support and counseling resources are available to staff affected by the accident through the Incline Village General Improvement District and the ski resort.

An investigation into the case is being handled by the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office.

The child’s death follows several other fatal incidents at ski resorts across the country in recent months.

In Montana, a 37-year-old man died after falling from a chairlift experiencing mechanical problems at Red Lodge Mountain. Jeffrey Zinne of Billings fell from the Triple Chair lift just before noon on March 10 and was pronounced dead two days later from injuries suffered in the fall, according to local authorities.

The lift was stopped after the accident, and more than 100 people were evacuated by ski patrollers using ropes to lower them to the ground, according to Red Lodge Mountain spokesperson Troy Hawks.

In Massachusetts, 19-year-old Williams College student Alex Kemp died from injuries at Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort in January. Kemp veered off the Cutter Trail and went over an embankment, suffering severe head trauma despite wearing a helmet, according to the Berkshire District Attorney’s Office

In Switzerland, Olympic snowboarder Sophie Hediger, 26, lost her life in an avalanche at the Arosa mountain resort on Dec. 23, 2024.

From NTD News