Seemingly in a particular case of he-said-she-said, the complicated ski accident trial continues for actress and luxury lifestyle advocate Gwyneth Paltrow and accuser Terry Sanderson. According to Sanderson, in 2016, the famed actress crashed into him from behind while they were both skiing at a high-end Utah resort. According to Sanderson, the collision sent him “absolutely flying”.
According to reports obtained from Sanderson, the accident caused him to lose track of where the ground was and where the sky was: “All I saw was a whole lot of snow. And I didn’t see the sky, but I was flying.” While testifying, Sanderson recalls that he heard a screaming woman losing control of her skis and hitting him in the back. Because of this accident, Sanderson claims that he has endured permanent brain damage from the crash which has altered his personality. The retired optometrist is suing Paltrow for $300,000 for physical harm as well as for skiing recklessly.
In her defense, Paltrow claims that it was Sanderson who collided into her, albeit lightly, from behind. Nonetheless, the collision escalated as the pair began to skid down the slope. Paltrow stated that Sanderson’s skis came between her legs, causing her to panic suddenly, and that she heard a man groaning from behind her.
Regardless of who crashed into whom, Paltrow ended up on top of Sanderson after the crash and both sides agreed that Sanderson endured four broken ribs and a concussion from the crash. Recalling these facts, Sanderson was brought to tears when testifying, apparently distraught with his lack of ability to remember certain aspects of the events.
Along with his testimony, Sanderson’s team also brought up the question of possible evidence being present through a GoPro helmet camera that may have recorded the crash. Despite this possibility, no video evidence was presented during the trial, leading to the belief that there may be no recorded evidence (as of yet).
On Paltrow’s end, one of her family’s four ski instructors came to the stand to testify. Paltrow’s attorneys also stated that Paltrow’s two teenage children would have their depositions read later in the trial rather than having to be present in court. Paltrow’s team also played a computer-animated visualization of how the collision occurred for jurors.
Toward the end of the first few days of trial, questions of celebrity, wealth, and Sanderson’s motivation for suing the actress have come into question. Both parties deflected any accusation that may work against them, such as Paltrow being a carefree actress who is unwilling to take accountability for her actions and Sanderson being wealth-obsessed with the actress’ fortune. Ultimately, it will be up to the jurors to decide who collided into whom and who needs to pay for damages.
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