The vacation was a chance to experience the Wild West.
Daniel Hoagland and his family made a trip from Lebanon, Ore., to Antimony, Utah, in 2008 ready for adventure at the Rockin’ R Ranch, which promised a week at a “working ranch” complete with cowboys who branded cattle, hors
eback rides and campfires.
At the ranch, the 54-year-old family physician agreed to try a zipline ride when resort planners signed him up for the activity on Aug. 11, 2008.
Hoagland climbed a tower at the resort, faced backward, held on to a strap, sat on the zipline’s stick and took off, bracing for an adrenaline rush. Seconds later, a strap attached to the stick, which served as a seat, snapped.
Hoagland plummeted to the ground, hitting his head against the dirt. He died from his injuries.
The accident happened in front of his wife, Elizabeth Ann, and daughter, Karen, who are now suing the resort, its owners and the companies connected to the resort’s recreational activities for negligence and wrongful death in U.S. District Court.
The Hoaglands’ lawsuit alleges the resort offered no harness or other safety mechanism on its zipline ride and the resort operators assured him he would be safe. Employees should have known the zipline was not functioning properly and was a safety hazard, according to the suit.
Attorneys for Rockin’ R Ranch filed a response denying culpability, stating Hoagland knew there were risks associated with going on the zipline. The man signed a waiver acknowledging his risk for injury, according to court documents.
The Hoagland family’s lawsuit, pending before U.S. District Judge Magistrate Paul Warner, asks a jury to award them more than $75,000 for damages, including funeral expenses, medical expenses, loss of financial support and loss of companionship, according to court documents.
The lawsuit joins other litigation in state and federal court filed after zipline accidents have caused severe injuries or, in Hoagland’s case, death. The activity is popular at challenge courses around the country often used to promote team building for businesses or other organizations in search of a getaway outside the office.
Many resorts require zipline participants to strap into a safety harness, but that wasn’t the case with Hoagland, the lawsuit states.
Two trade groups monitor the zipline industry. The Professional Ropes Course Association in Rockford, Ill., works to promote safety standards in the industry. A second organization, The Association for Challenge Course Technology in Deerfield, Ill., encourages businesses to follow safety guidelines set by the American National Standards Institute to avoid accidents.
Sonny Oztas, office operations manager at the ACCT, said resorts are encouraged to purchase zipline equipment and work with zipline vendors who have earned a seal of approval from the trade organizations for undergoing safety training.
Oztas said formal records of accidents and fatalities aren’t kept, but anecdotal evidence and accident reports that the trade group’s monitor show the incidents are few.
“It’s safer on a zipline than in a plane or automobile accident,” said Oztas. “In almost every activity there are injuries and fatalities,” he said, adding zipline accidents are “mishaps that don’t happen that often.”
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