UPDATED 2019/01/30 3:00PM
Gwyneth Paltrow is in some hot water…well, more like cold snow? The actress and founder of the lifestyle brand Goop is being accused of injuring another skier at Deer Valley Ski Resort in Park City, Utah in a “hit-and-run” ski crash.
Terry Sanderson, who is 72 years old, was skiing down a beginner course when 46-year-old Paltrow was “skiing out of control” and hit him causing “serious brain injuries” and four broken ribs. Paltrow, according to Sanderson and a witness, skied away after the incident “leaving [him] stunned, lying in the snow, seriously injured.”
Sanderson alleges that Paltrow was out of control when she came down the mountain, ignoring signs to slow down and yelling before she hit him. He and his attorney, Lawrence D. Buhler, said that Paltrow violated the National Ski Area Association’s Responsibility Code.
The code states that skiers are always meant to stay in control in order to be able to stop or avoid other people or objects. The code also says that people ahead of you on the slopes have the right of way, and that you must avoid them. They are also arguing that no one on Paltrow’s team called for help, which is another responsibility that they owed to Sanderson.
For Paltrow’s part, lawyers representing the Oscar-winning actress “don’t deny the collision” occurred, but they are arguing that Paltrow was the one who got hit by Sanderson, not the other way around.
The lawsuit details Sanderson’s injuries and, besides the broken ribs, he also suffered from a “closed brain injury,” which is similar to “shaken baby syndrome.” As a result of the injury, he may suffer from short-term memory loss, problems with directions and personality changes.
He is suing Paltrow, her ski instructor Eric Christiansen and the ski resort for “negligent actions to the tune of more than $3.1 million in damages.