Seven people have been left injured after a chair lift at a Maine ski resort malfunctioned and started traveling down the mountain backward , prompting riders to jump off , officials said on Saturday . Three people were taken to hospital after the King Pine lift , carrying around 230 people , began operating in reverse at Sugarloaf Mountain Resort in Carrabassett Valley on Saturday morning . However , none are believed to have suffered life-threatening injuries , resort spokesman Ethan Austin said . Riders who were still on-board when the lift eventually stopped were evacuated . On Saturday afternoon , David Segre , who was standing in the crowded lift line , described the terrifying moment the machine started traveling backward , picking up speed by the second . Scroll down for video . Wounded : Seven people ( some of whom are pictured above ) have been left injured after a chair lift at a Maine ski resort malfunctioned and started traveling down the mountain backward , prompting riders to jump off . Evacuation : Three people were taken to hospital after the King Pine lift began operating in reverse at Sugarloaf Mountain Resort in Carrabassett Valley on Saturday . Above , a skier is evacuated from the lift after it stopped . Team effort : None of the seven are thought to have suffered life-threatening injuries , a resort spokesman said . 'It was really scary . It was like a gear had let loose and it was slowly picking up speed going the wrong way . So all the chairs ... they were slipping backward , ' said the 42-year-old skier . 'And as gravity works they started to go faster and faster and people were jumping off at the lower levels , ' he added , estimating that the lift traveled backward for up to 300 yards before stopping . Susan Haws Clifford , who was on the lift with her daughter , told WMTW News 8 that it 'started heading backwards really fast ' , adding : 'We were able to unbind our skis and jump off uninjured . ' But while some skiers close to the ground leaped off the lift , one man who was not able to ended up going around the loading area and heading up the mountain on the other side , Segre said . Nearly down : On Saturday afternoon , witness David Segre described the terrifying moment the machine started traveling backward , picking up speed by the second . Above , the skier is helped by a resort official . Scene : 'It was really scary . It was like a gear had let loose and it was slowly picking up speed going the wrong way . So all the chairs ... they were slipping backward , ' he said . Above , people stuck on the lift after it stopped . It is unclear whether the injured riders jumped off the lift , or fell off due to its erratic movements . The seven were treated by ski patrol and taken off the mountain for treatment by an emergency medical responder , Austin said . Three of the riders were later transferred to a nearby hospital . Segre told AP it looked like three or four people were being tended to in the loading area of the lift , adding : ' I think everybody was being very careful not to move them until ski patrol arrived . ' On Saturday afternoon , photos and videos emerged on social media showing terrified riders , who were stranded meters high up in the air , being evacuated from the malfunctioning lift via ropes . Sugarloaf Mountain Resort : While some skiers close to the ground leaped off the lift ( pictured ) , one man who was not able to ended up going around the loading area and heading up the mountain on the other side . Famous : The U.S. Alpine Championships are due to take place at the famous ski resort ( pictured ) in a few days . Officials have said the cause of the accident is under investigation . The chairlift , which can transport 2,100 skiers an hour on 122 chairs , receives routine daily inspections for safety , Austin said . It remains closed in the wake of the incident , according to ABC 9 . Sugarloaf was the site of another chairlift accident in 2010 in which a 35-year-old lift derailed , causing five chairs to fall to the ground , injuring eight skiers . That lift was replaced in 2011 . The latest incident comes just days before the U.S. Alpine Championships are scheduled to take place at the world-famous ski resort . It will be the fifth time Sugarloaf has hosted the event .
Chair lift at Sugarloaf Mountain Resort malfunctioned Saturday morning . Began traveling down mountain backward , prompting riders to jump off . Seven people were wounded ; three were taken to hospital , officials said . Riders who were still on-board when lift finally stopped were evacuated . Maine Alpine Championships scheduled to take place at Sugarloaf in days .