Hunter

A New York City woman died Sunday in what State Police are calling a freak accident after she fell from a ski lift in the Catskills.

Olga Filkin, 44, of Brooklyn, was on a weekend ski trip at Hunter Mountain with a large group including her husband and 20-year-old daughter, State Police Investigator Daniel Mitchell said.

Filkin was known as a "pretty good skier," Mitchell said

An investigation found that about 2:15 p.m., Filkin was on D Lift by herself when the triple seat began to rock, he said.

The restraint bar was down at the time, said Gerry Tschinkel, Hunter Mountain vice president of sales, marketing and sponsorships.

Filkin's ski got caught on one of the lift support poles, pulling her off the chair and causing her to fall to the ground, Mitchell said.

Emergency medical personnel at the mountain worked on her, but she was pronounced dead at the scene.

According to an autopsy Monday, Filkin died of her injuries from the fall, Mitchell said.

Approximately 3,000 people were on the mountain Sunday, Tschinkel said.

"Safety is a top priority for Hunter Mountain, and we have a wide variety of programs and protocols in place. These touch every aspect of our operations," he said.

"There are always going to be elements of risk involved in skiing and snowboarding, but our staff works hard to make sure that guests can enjoy the mountain as safely as possible."