Skiing & Snowboarding Accident Attorneys in Park City

If You Were Injured on the Slopes, You Could Be Able to Hold a Negligent Resort Liable

No one wants to think their next visit to the mountain might end with a trip to the hospital, but it does happen. Around 600,000 skiers and snowboarders are injured on the slopes each year, suffering minor to severe injuries like broken bones, head trauma, and spinal cord injuries.

If you or a loved one was hurt in a skiing or snowboarding accident, it’s important to know your legal options. Utah law restricts the situations in which ski resorts may be held liable for injuries, but they do not close the door to legal action entirely. Our Park City skiing accident attorneys can review your case and help you determine whether you might be able to recover compensation through a lawsuit.

Call Dodd & Kuendig at (435) 296-7434 to schedule a free consultation at our firm.

How an Attorney Can Help After a Skiing or Snowboarding Accident

Aside from putting you out for the rest of the season, injuries from a skiing or snowboarding accident could potentially require surgery and rehabilitative therapy—and some might never fully heal.

The resultant costs of a skiing or snowboarding accident can put a huge strain on your finances. If negligence caused your injuries, you shouldn't have to face this burden on your own.

If your accident qualifies for a personal injury claim, an attorney from Dodd & Kuendig can help you recover compensation for the following:

• Cost of medical treatment including surgery, therapy, and medications.
• Lost earnings from missed time at work and lost earning potential.
• Loss of quality of life and companionship with spouse/partner.
• Pain, suffering, and other non-economic damages.

It’s important for anyone in this position to understand whether they have a right to compensation to aid in their recovery. A Park City skiing and snowboarding accident lawyer from our firm can evaluate your case in a free consultation and help you understand your legal rights.

What is Utah’s Inherent Risks of Skiing Act?

In recent years, our state legislature has made a point of clarifying when ski resorts can and cannot be held responsible for injuries that happen on their grounds. The Inherent Risks of Skiing Act puts forth a legal assumption that downhill skiers and snowboarders are (or should be) aware of the implicit hazards they face as participants in these sports. Therefore, if you suffer an injury due to a known and expected danger, you have no grounds to recover compensation from a resort operator.

What Are the “Inherent Risks?”

The following factors are considered “inherent risks” both skiers and snowboarders should be aware of.

• Weather conditions
• Snow/ice conditions
• Surface conditions (bare spots, trees or stumps, etc.)
• Danger caused by natural or modified terrain
• Collision with stationary objects
• Collision with other skiers or snowboarders
• Training injuries
• Accidents caused by attempts to master too-hard runs or courses

Commercial ski areas should warn about such risks, but in almost all cases will not hold any liability for injuries caused by one of the above.

Negligence That Qualifies for a Lawsuit

However, a ski operator is also required to take reasonable action to protect guests. Any hazards that are either man-made or could be removed with little effort therefore can open the facility up to liability. Other causes of accidents and injuries that may allow you to sue include:

• Unsafe or malfunctioning ski lifts
• Mistakes or negligence by ski lift operators
• Defective ski equipment
• Lack of warning for known dangers
• Lack of markers denoting ski area boundary
• Substandard slope maintenance

In some cases, an accident’s cause is rooted much deeper than the surface factors witnesses can easily identify. We can launch an investigation to determine the underlying causes of your injury. If your skiing or snowboarding accident could have been prevented, you might be able to receive compensation for your injuries.