34-year-old man killed in Tahoe snowmobile crash identified. Cal-OSHA is investigating

A 34-year-old man was killed Thursday following a rollover snowmobile crash at a Lake Tahoe-area ski resort, according to the California Highway Patrol’s Truckee office.

Brian Gimbert, of Tahoma, was performing mountain operations on a Polaris snowmobile at slow speed on an undeveloped portion of Palisades Alpine Ski Resort, a CHP news release said. The Polaris struck a rock about two feet in diameter partially covered in snow, according to CHP officers, who responded to the 2600 block of Alpine Meadows Road at about 7:30 a.m.

The Polaris rolled over and Gimbert was ejected. He was taken to the Tahoe Forest Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased, the news release said. He suffered blunt force trauma to his chest and neck, CHP said.

The CHP originally identified the victim as a 25-year-old man, but the CHP in an update later Thursday said coroner’s officials confirmed he was 34 years old.

CHP incident logs reported that the victim was an employee at the Palisades Tahoe ski resort. A call to the ski resort seeking information about the incident wasn’t returned.

The man was seen last seen around 5 a.m., and a person found him injured about 6:30 a.m., said Officer Carlos Perez, a spokesman with the Truckee-area CHP office.

Perez added that the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health, known as Cal-OSHA, is investigating the incident.

A Cal-OSHA spokesperson in an emailed response did not answer questions about the incident but confirmed the department is investigating it.

This story was originally published November 9, 2023 at 10:38 AM.