AUBURN – A reporter for the Sun Journal suffered a fractured back while rolling down a hill inside a car-sized inflatable ball during a media preview of the ride at Lost Valley ski area.

Rebekah Metzler and photographer Lincoln Benedict were strapped inside the plastic sphere known as “the Zorb” Thursday afternoon when it bounced off a hay-encased post and went airborne before landing hard a couple of seconds later.

Metzler drove back to the newspaper’s office in Lewiston before being taken to Central Maine Medical Center, where she remained Friday.

Diane Moreau, co-owner of Lost Valley, said the course has been altered since the accident, which happened on what she described as a “test run.”

The ride’s weekend debut was delayed while state officials who learned of the accident through news outlets sought to determine whether a permit similar to those issued for amusement park rides is required, Moreau said Friday.