Saying a Teton County-based ski resort’s year-round roller coaster threw him when his seatbelt came undone, a Wyoming man is suing the resort, and an international roller-coaster equipment manufacturer.
Juan Camacho filed a civil lawsuit July 10 in Teton County District Court, against Snow King Mountain Resort and Wiegand Sports, asking for a trial to establish judgment and determine “just and proper” damages and relief.
Through his attorney Sean T. Olson of Olson Personal Injury Lawyers, Camacho accuses the resort of negligence and misconduct, and the equipment manufacturer of liability for a faulty product and breach of warranty of fitness.
Wiegand declined Thursday to comment on the case.
Snow King Resort also declined to comment.
The Claims
The lawsuit complaint alleges that Snow King’s Cowboy Coaster opened for rides in 2015 but started throwing passengers and injuring them in 2018.
The 2018 falls, the complaint alleges, were from seatbelt failures.
Snow King ordered the seatbelts replaced after those incidents, wrote Olson, adding that Wiegand replaced all the seatbelts that year and warrantied that they had a five-year life span.
“As a result of the 2018 incident, Defendant Snow King Mountain Resort told the public that it institute a policy of double-checking all lap belts on the Cowboy Coaster,” the attorney wrote.
“It was foreseeable,” he continued, “that failing to follow this policy would likely result in future injuries, damages, or losses” to riders.
Camacho rode in the front seat of a Cowboy Coaster car on July 15, 2021, the complaint says.
The document says Camacho had fastened his lap seatbelt, and that Snow King employees “failed to check” that his seatbelt was secure or that it had no safety issues.
Camacho’s seatbelt came undone on the descent, and the coaster threw him - causing “serious injuries, damages, and losses,” the complaint claims.
The Ride
The coaster’s 1,660 linear feet of track have four 360-degree corkscrew turns, six bridges, several jumps and waves, Cowboy State Daily reported prior.
The sleds will automatically apply braking when they reach 25 mph.
The two 2018 seatbelt malfunctions triggered a nationwide recall by Wiegand Sports, and the resort shut the attraction down temporarily until new seatbelts arrived.
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
