Q: How Do Most Ski Injuries Occur?

Crashes. Nine of the ten skiers and snowboarders killed at Colorado resorts in 2015-2016 were involved in crashes. Seven people hit trees, one hit a fixed post, and one hit another skier. The tenth died after suffocating in an area of snow surrounding a tree, known as a tree well. Skiers are supposed to abide by speed rules and should be penalized by resorts when caught going too fast down the mountain. In the event that one skier collides with another, the uphill skier is likely to blame, but they may not be the only one. Ski lifts. While ski-lift accidents are less common than downhill accidents, they are extremely dangerous. Improperly functioning ski-lifts can send riders plummeting onto the frozen ground below. In the past, lift malfunctions have been due to welding failure, wire entanglement, improper installation and maintenance of lift drives, operator error, and detachable quad lift failure (Coloradoan). Leventhal Puga Braley P.C. is handling a case involving a Colorado ski resort that had been warned of a “dangerously swaying” chairlift but did nothing to correct the problem. Later that month, problems with the electric drive and operator error caused chair on the lift to swing violently, causing one chair to strike a tower and eject a mother and her two daughters 25 feet onto the hard-packed snow below. The mother did not survive, and her daughters sustained critical injuries.

Question 1

How Do Most Ski Injuries Occur?

Accepted Answer

Crashes. Nine of the ten skiers and snowboarders killed at Colorado resorts in 2015-2016 were involved in crashes. Seven people hit trees, one hit a fixed post, and one hit another skier. The tenth died after suffocating in an area of snow surrounding a tree, known as a tree well. Skiers are supposed to abide by speed rules and should be penalized by resorts when caught going too fast down the mountain. In the event that one skier collides with another, the uphill skier is likely to blame, but they may not be the only one.
Ski lifts. While ski-lift accidents are less common than downhill accidents, they are extremely dangerous. Improperly functioning ski-lifts can send riders plummeting onto the frozen ground below. In the past, lift malfunctions have been due to welding failure, wire entanglement, improper installation and maintenance of lift drives, operator error, and detachable quad lift failure (Coloradoan). Leventhal Puga Braley P.C. is handling a case involving a Colorado ski resort that had been warned of a “dangerously swaying” chairlift but did nothing to correct the problem. Later that month, problems with the electric drive and operator error caused chair on the lift to swing violently, causing one chair to strike a tower and eject a mother and her two daughters 25 feet onto the hard-packed snow below. The mother did not survive, and her daughters sustained critical injuries.

Question 2

Who Is Liable After a Ski Injury?

Accepted Answer

If you’ve been injured at a ski resort, speak to an experienced Denver personal injury lawyer immediately. Because skiing is considered an inherently dangerous sport, ski resorts are typically immune from liability when ski injuries are caused by the inherent risk of skiing.

However, your legal team may be able to prove negligence, or failure to use reasonable care, when the ski resort causes harm outside of the inherent risks of skiing. Going back to our earlier example, a ski lift malfunction is by no means the fault of the skier, and the ski resort is liable.

If you’ve been injured due to the actions of another skier, negligence - and thus fault - can usually be proven if the skier violated rules stated in the Skier Responsibility Code. If resort staff on the slopes did not take measures to curb a dangerous behavior and protect other guests, the resort, too, may be held liable.

Denver Ski Injury Attorneys

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Ski-Related Deaths in Colorado

How Do Most Ski Injuries Occur?

Who Is Liable After a Ski Injury?

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