Yesterday in Colorado, a mother and her two daughters fell from a ski lift at a small resort in Colorado. The 20 foot fall into snow killed the mother and seriously injured her 9 and 12 year old daughters.

While the official cause of the fall has not been released, witnesses of the accident said the lift had not been working properly for a few days. According to CBS 4 in Denver, “Each stop of the lift caused chairs to sway and bounce.”

I remember riding up a lift with a ski instructor at Deer Valley a couple of years ago and she said, “You always put the bar down. You just never know what might happen.”

We know that it is a pain to put down the foot-rest and bring it back up again. That said, that little inconvenience may someday save your life or someone you love.