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SUNDANCE — A South Carolina woman killed on a zip line at Sundance Mountain Resort this week was hit by a broken tree branch as it fell, police said Friday.

Investigators earlier this week said Lisa Lambe, 55, of Hilton Head, South Carolina, died of blunt force trauma she sustained while riding the zip line. They now confirm those injuries were caused by a tree branch that broke off in high winds and fell into Lambe's path, Utah County Sheriff's Sgt. Spencer Cannon said Friday.

Cannon said police consider Lambe's death an unfortunate accident and there is no evidence of any criminal wrongdoing.

Lambe and her husband were riding separate zip lines May 20 when she did not reach the bottom with him, Cannon said. Zip line workers found Lambe still suspended in her harness partway down the line, unconscious and not breathing. Lambe was brought to the end of the zip line where paramedics rendered CPR. She was transported to Utah Valley Hospital where she died of her injuries.

Investigators later found a tree near the zip line that had broken off at the top and evidence of the branch that hit Lambe, Cannon said.

In a statement Friday, Sundance representatives said the tree that broke was about 11 feet to the side of the line.

"It is suspected that a microburst gust of wind may have caused the tree top to break and fall. How Mrs. Lambe came into contact with the tree top is still unknown," the statement indicated.

According to KSL weather data, wind speeds around Sundance at the time exceeded 30 mph, with gusts nearing 50 mph.

Czar Johnson, director of mountain operations on the Sundance Zip Tour, said the tree that broke off had been evaluated as being far enough away from the line and was healthy.

"There was certainly no indication (the tree) could be a potential hazard that way, between distance as well as the health of tree," Johnson said.

Regarding operating in winds, Johnson said the Zip Tour does not have a specific wind speed cutoff for operating the attraction, but monitors whether there are sustained winds traveling in a direction that could make a rider's speed unsafe.

"It had been called out to operators to be aware of the winds due to the forecast, but there hadn't been any operators who had called down with any concerns for that," Johnson said.

Had a wind concern been reported, zip line operation would have ceased until the wind had passed, he said.

According to Sundance's release, the company performs "daily, monthly, seasonal and annual inspections of all lines, foundations and equipment."

The Zip Tour is comprised of five separate spans, including an initial 70-foot demo span used for mandatory rider training, Czar said. Lambe was on the final span, which is 3,700 feet long, when she was hit.

Riders control their own speeds by applying a brake, Czar said, estimating that the average speed on that span of the zip line is between 40 and 50 mph. It is unknown how fast Lambe was traveling.

Approximately 80 riders had ridden the zip line ahead of Lambe, Johnson said, with the rider before her going down less than five minutes ahead of her.

Sundance General Manager Chad Linebaugh offered sympathy for Lambe's family earlier this week and reaffirmed the company's committment to safety on the attraction, which was inspected and cleared to resume operations, including by law enforcement.

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