There are a couple of well-known rules for corporate crisis communications: Be open, be honest and stick to what you know — good advice, but most often ignored.

The management team at Sugarloaf USA, however, earned high marks not only for its preparation to deal with a serious accident, but also its skill dealing with state and national media attention.

During blustery high winds Tuesday, a section of ski lift cable dropped from a tower, throwing five chairs and their riders about 30 feet to the ground.

Eight people were injured, several seriously, in the worst accident of its kind in the resort’s 60-year history.

From the start, Sugarloaf spokesman Ethan Austin was available to the media and the nation, supplying accurate, detailed information as it became available.

Days later, as more details from local and state investigators became available, the resort was still supplying new information, including a timeline of events.

Experts always advise corporations to have a crisis communication plan in place.

That plan usually advises several things, including designating a spokesperson and having an internal process for channeling information. Experts advise being open from the start, sticking to what is known and avoiding defensiveness.

In an accident, always express concern for victims and, most importantly, avoid the appearance of a coverup.

The media abhors a vacuum. When corporations clam up in a crisis, reporters go elsewhere for information. If a company doesn’t talk about the crisis, someone else will.

In a crisis, the national media usually rushes to the scene, covers the story for a day or two, and then moves on.

A company  never gets a second chance to recover from a negative national image created by a poor or defensive crisis response.

In this era of electronic media, any story can go national in minutes, and this one did. Rob Atkinson, formerly news director at WGME and now an employee at CNN, was on the lift at the time and was the first to report from the scene.

In less than an hour, the accident was national news.

It is strange how these things go. Eight NFL players can be injured in a game and it barely creates a ripple.

Eight people fall from a ski lift and the national media explodes.

Aircraft and amusement-type accidents seem to fascinate the media and the public.

Perhaps it is because all these industries are so safe that the occasional accident really grabs our attention. Perhaps it’s the illusion of danger that almost never materializes that fascinates us.

Riding on a ski lift, in an airplane or on a roller coaster seems so dangerous, but is statistically so safe. When something bad does happen, perhaps it confirms that our original fears were justified.

Or, it might just be the trust factor, putting our well-being into the hands of others and then having that trust shattered.

It’s as if we are told to close our eyes and fall backward and be assured others will catch us. Then, crash, we hit the floor and are shocked and amazed.

For whatever reasons, accidents of this sort are instant news.

When the the national spotlight was the hottest, Sugarloaf handled it with professionalism.

editorialboard@sunjournal.com

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