Skiier Suffers Paralysis After Accident in Terrain Park

In recent years, the extreme sport of skiing has evolved tremendously, resulting in new, unforeseen risks. Up until the 1970s, the legal standard for the ski industry meant that skiers would assume the risks associated with the sport. Currently, skiers sign liability waivers, and the back of a lift pass will contain fine print which releases ski resorts from responsibility for the sports’ inherent risks. With that, however, there is a certain amount of responsibility that ski resorts bear when it comes to the inherent risks of the sport. Ski resorts are responsible for warning their patrons of the dangers that may result from participating in the sport. Furthermore, they must properly label the terrain with appropriate markings and signs in order to warn skiers of the terrain ahead. In the case at hand, the actual warnings on the ski ticket and any other information provided to skiers at the resort in question will illustrate whether they fulfilled their duties. Also, the warning signs at other dangerous areas of the resort should be examined (namely, at the beginning of the more difficult slopes and at the other terrain park). Lastly, the exact sign at the beginning of the terrain park in question should be analyzed, and if it is susceptible to being covered in snow (a likely scenario at a ski resort), the resort should have taken measures to ensure that the warning sign was visible. I have over forty-one years of experience working in both the safety and administrative areas of multiple ski resorts, and based on the preliminary facts presented, the ski resort may be liable.