Winter is upon us; bringing with it lots of holiday spirit, warm drinks, and outdoor sports. As fun as skiing, snowboarding, and snowmobiling may be, these activities can be extremely dangerous for both beginners and those who are more advanced. When people are properly trained and are using safe practices, winter sports injuries are fairly easy to prevent. However, sometimes an accident is caused by another person’s behavior. If you are injured in an accident that is the fault of another skier or snowboarder, you may be able to sue them for negligence or recklessness and recover compensation for your injuries. Our experienced personal injury lawyers can help you through this stressful and often painful time and fight for your rights in the legal system.
During the 2017-2018 winter season in the United States, 14,000 injuries and 37 fatalities occurred in connection with skiing or snowboarding. These accidents can happen in several ways, but typically they are caused by skiing too fast in heavily populated areas, not giving another person their right of way, or stalling in areas that are designated trails. The severity of the resulting injuries can range from broken bones to brain injury, and even death.
With snowmobiling, approximately 200 deaths and 14,000 injuries occur each year. Considering that a snowmobile typically weighs around 500 pounds and can travel at a maximum speed of 200 miles per hour; these numbers are not surprising. These accidents usually happen due to intoxication, untrained drivers, poor judgment, exorbitant speed, or vehicle defects. If you are injured in a snowmobiling accident due to someone else’s fault, you may have a personal injury claim. In the saddest scenario, if your loved one is killed in one of these accidents, your family may have a wrongful death claim.
Most winter sports accidents are caused by an individual’s inexperienced or reckless behavior. However, there are times when a ski resort can be at fault. If the resort has been negligent in some way, they can be found liable regardless of any waiver signed for the ‘inherent risk’ involved with skiing or snowboarding. For example, a ski lift malfunction or improperly parked ski equipment on the slopes may not be covered by any waiver and you may have a personal injury claim. That is not always the case, however, because some states have special laws protecting ski resorts from lawsuits. So, if you’ve been hurt at a ski resort and believe that your injuries may have been caused by the ski resort or one of its employees, you must check the specific laws in that state.
The bottom line is this: If you have been injured while skiing, snowboarding, or snowmobiling, and believe your accident was caused by someone else’s negligent or reckless behavior, it is important to speak to a good lawyer. That’s why you need us. Our experienced injury attorneys can help you determine if you have a personal injury claim and fight to get you the compensation you deserve. Call The Collins Law Firm at 630-527-1595 or fill out our contact form for a FREE EVALUATION of your case today.
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