Boulder Ski Accident Lawyer

CALL (800) 863-5312 TO SPEAK WITH OUR BOULDER SKI ACCIDENT LAWYERS

Colorado is home to dozens of ski resorts, making it a prime state for avid skiers and snowboarders to reside in or visit. However, even experienced skiers and snowboarders can be injured if another snowboarder or the ski resort was negligent. If you’ve suffered an injury while skiing or snowboarding in Boulder, speak with one of our Boulder ski accident lawyers at Zinda Law Group today.

A lawyer can help you at every step of your legal claim, from the moment you file up until settlement or even trial. It’s important to speak with a personal injury lawyer and learn your options if you were in a ski accident. If you have been in a ski or snowboard accident, call (800) 863-5312 for your free consultation with a Boulder injury attorney.

How can a boulder injury attorney help?

Victims of ski accidents might feel confused about how to proceed. They know their injuries are not their fault, and they know they should not have to pay for them. Yet they are unsure about how to find a lawyer or how they could benefit from a lawyer’s help.

Trying to navigate the legal system alone is like trying to find your way around in a foreign country. Sure, there are maps, but they are not in your language. You can try to get directions from people you randomly encounter, but their instructions are confusing to you.

Having a personal injury lawyer is like having a personal guide with you in that foreign country. A lawyer can tell you multiple routes to reach a destination along with the pros and cons of each route; and you choose which route is best for you. A personal injury lawyer speaks the ‘language’ of the legal field and can answer your questions about next steps. 

Helping You File a Claim

First, after an accident, it’s important to schedule an initial consultation with an injury lawyer. The lawyer can listen to your description of the accident and help you decide whether it is worth your time to file a claim against the person or ski resort that caused your injury. This is important in understanding which steps to take after your ski accident.

In Colorado, you have three years to file your claim from the day the accident occurs. There are several procedural and substantive rules that you must follow to avoid having your claim dismissed. You must use the correct legal claim against the correct defendant and file in the right court.

You need not have all the evidence gathered before you can file your claim, since you will have time for that during the discovery stage of litigation. Rather, you must be able to show how the facts of your case meet all the elements of the claim you are filing. An attorney can help ensure that your claim is filed as accurately as possible.

Investigating During Discovery

After you have filed your claim, discovery begins. During discovery, the plaintiff and defendant gather and exchange information about the accident. In a negligence claim, this means deposing the parties to the suit and the witnesses who saw the accident. In a ski accident claim, this means gathering as much evidence about the accident as possible, such as witness statements, information about the scene of the accident, and much more.

As you gather information, you gain a clearer picture of liability, which affects compensation. You and your lawyer can begin strategizing about which legal arguments you should make while negotiating your settlement. The defendant’s attorney will start thinking of possible defenses available to the defendant.

Negotiating a Settlement Amount

Once you have had ample time to gather evidence and strategize with your attorney about the best way to argue your case, your attorney can start negotiating a settlement amount with the defendant. The defendant’s attorney will probably try to use various arguments to try and show that you deserve less compensation than you are seeking. Your attorney, however, will advocate for a fair settlement and help you pursue maximum compensation.

Determining Compensation

A personal injury lawyer can determine the correct compensation amount based on the evidence of the case. Expenses like your doctor’s appointments, X-rays, medication, and other medical costs, plus your missed wages, all factor into your economic damages. Details about your injury and how it impacted your quality of life give the attorney an idea of the amount you should receive for your pain and suffering, or non-economic damages.

If the attorneys for either side cannot settle on a compensation amount, then you may need to go to trial to get compensated. Parties usually prefer to try and settle, since juries can be unpredictable at trial. Seek advice from your lawyer about whether you should go to trial if the defendant will not meet you at an appropriate settlement amount.

Steps to take after a Ski or snowboard accident

If you have already been in a snowboard or ski accident, you are probably wondering about your next steps. You can use the following steps as a checklist to make sure you have completed the necessary stages to move forward in your ski or snowboard accident claim:

1. Seek Medical Treatment If Injured

Skiing and snowboarding resorts should have medical staff on hand ready to assist you with emergency treatment if you need it. If they do not have such staff, that fact itself may show that the resort was negligent. If you need to go to the hospital, call an ambulance or have someone call an ambulance for you. You will not be able to get information directly from the accident scene if you must go to the hospital, but your health is most important.

When visit with healthcare providers, keep track of all of your medical treatments. Record every doctor visit, X-ray, diagnosis, treatment, and the costs. These items are proof of your injury, pain, and suffering.

2. Gather Evidence

In addition to the evidence surrounding the nature and seriousness of your injuries, you should also gather as much evidence about the scene of the accident as you can. For example, take as many pictures of the scene of the accident and your surroundings as possible. If your case involved malfunctioning ski or snowboarding equipment, take pictures of the equipment and any parts. Take pictures of any signs posted on the slopes near the accident or note if there is a lack of signage on the slopes.

Further, exchange names and contact information of anyone else who was hurt in the accident, including the person who caused it. Additionally, get the names and contact information of the people who saw how the accident happened. You can interview these people later to help build your case.

Do not worry if you cannot complete these steps because you were busy addressing your injuries. As long as you have the names and contact information of the people involved in the accident, you can go back later and fill in the gaps in your case. A Boulder injury attorney knows how to go back and find the evidence you need for your claim if that information is available. For example, if an employee at the resort caused the accident but you do not know the employee’s name, the attorney could find out who was working that day in the area in which your accident occurred.

3. Hire a Boulder Ski Accident Lawyer

After you have gathered the basic information about how the accident occurred and have begun treatment for your injury, you are ready to speak with a lawyer. Be sure to contact a personal injury lawyer near you within three years of the accident so that it is filed on time. Failure to do so could prevent you from seeking compensation for your injuries.

Which ski or snowboard accidents can a personal injury lawyer handle?

Accidents occur on the slopes when skiers and snowboarders crash into each other or into objects. Sometimes, skiers and snowboarders crash into a person or object after their equipment malfunctions. If the person or object that caused your injury can be linked to the ski resort, then the resort might be liable for your injury.

Accidents by Negligent Ski Resort Employees

First, the resort may have to take responsibility for the negligence of its employees. The employer likely hired ski or snowboarding instructors, medical staff, and ski lift operators to help run the resort. If any of these employees are negligent while on the job, the employer is probably liable.

Accidents by Negligent Ski Resorts

Second, the resort itself may have been negligent. For example, the resort may have poorly marked ski slopes and caused skiers to crash, or the resort could have negligently hired instructors, medical staff, or ski lift operators who were not qualified for the job. Additionally, the resort may have rented you equipment that was worn or defective and unsafe to use.

Accidents from Defective Products

Defective products are different from products that are worn down past their recommended use. A defective product is one that is improperly labeled so that its users are not fully aware of the danger of the product; that is designed defectively; or that is manufactured defectively. Cases involving defective products are called product liability cases.

The manufacturer that created the product is liable in a product liability case. In cases of skier injuries, the defective product includes not only the gear attached to the skier or snowboarder but also other equipment, such as the ski resort’s ski lifts and snowmobiles. Talk to a lawyer to learn more about who you should hold accountable for your injuries.

Read More: Product Liability Lawyers

Common skier injuries in Boulder

Your injuries could impact your life, and if that is the case, it’s important to seek compensation for them. If you wait to visit the doctor and discover later that you need surgery, it might be too late to pursue compensation to cover your care. The kinds of injuries you receive on the slopes range from bruises, sprains, whiplash, fractures, and dislocations to much more severe brain injuries and spine injuries.

The most common traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a mild TBI—a concussion. Even mild TBIs can stick around long past the accident and give rise to persistent post-concussive symptoms like memory loss, continuous headaches, anxiety and depression, reduced attention span, and poor reaction time. You might not notice a spinal injury until the bruises and sprains on your extremities fade away, but spinal injuries can have a devastating impact on your mobility. Symptoms of spinal cord injuries include extreme back pain, spasms, nerve pain, quadriplegia or paraplegia, inability to feel touch or temperature, inability to control bladder or bowels, difficulty walking or breathing, and changes to sexual sensitivity and fertility.

Talk to the boulder ski accident lawyers at Zinda law group now

Zinda Law Group’s Boulder ski accident lawyers want to help you hold the right parties accountable if you’ve been injured in an accident. You may need someone to help you navigate the legal process and understand your rights. Zinda Law Group’s Boulder ski accident lawyers have experience helping clients who have been hurt on the slopes and can help you pursue maximum compensation.

Call (800) 863-5312 to schedule your free consultation with a passionate Zinda Law Group attorney. We also offer our clients a No Win, No Fee Guarantee. This means that if we do not win your case for you, you will not owe us anything.

Meetings with attorneys are available by appointment only.