By Abby Hancock Channel 2 News KTUU

7:20 p.m. AKST, January 4, 2013
ANCHORAGE, Alaska—

The teenager injured in the New Year’s Eve tram crash at the Alyeska Ski Resort in Girdwood says Friday that she will return once it is operating again, despite the scary experience.

Strong wind gusts blew the resort’s tram into the tower shortly before 7:30 p.m. Monday and trapped 15-year-old Catie Quinn, of Peters Creek, as well as a friend and several employees for nearly five and a half hours.

Quinn was knocked unconscious and suffered minor injuries, including a cut to her head about 2.5 inches long and seven centimeters wide which needed eight staples. She also suffered bruises to her legs, arms, and face and tore ligaments in one of her fingers.

Alyeska Resort continues to investigate the incident.

Quinn said the First Aid kit fell out of the tram, so she used a hat that a tram worker gave her to stop the bleeding.

"I woke up underneath the bench and they sat me up in the tram and I reached up and touched my head and my hand was coated in blood and immediately they put something on the wound." Quinn said.

The resort's tram workers checked on her routinely to make sure she was OK, according to Quinn.

“They kept me conscious, did all that, but we were up there for 5.5 hours and the accident happened at 7:30 p.m. and half the side of the tram was completely ripped off,” Quinn said. “We were exposed to the elements and it was definitely something I will never forget.”

Contact Abby Hancock