Introduction
In this article, we will talk about Ski Lift Accidents and the involvement of the ski lift and the various factors that relate to the accidents involving it. Furthermore, we will explain how our DME services assist skilled attorneys to strengthen their clients’ claims of ski lift injuries.
If you have ever skied or snowboarded, you know that it is a surreal experience as you are able to enjoy the beauty of nature at the same time you get the adrenaline rush. But like any other extreme sport, it does have its risks and dangers involved. One of the most risks associated with skiing and snowboarding is getting into an accident with the ski lift. Such accidents are reported to be life threatening and have resulted in the loss of many lives.
The Risks of Ski Lift Accidents
There are many factors which contribute to accidents involving the ski lift such as lifting injuries, ski bindings, and even the weather. Between 2017-2022, the National Ski Areas Association has recorded a high of 12 lift related deaths in America. The number of deaths reported is not that significant but the number of injuries sustained is rather high. An article published in the Journal of Injury Prevention quoted that around 4.45 lifts related injuries occur for every 100 million skier visits.
Causes of Ski Lift Accidents
Ski lift accidents can be caused by a combination of factors, including:
• Equipment failure: Ski lifts are complex machines that operate in a safe manner only when maintained. Constructing equipment and not maintaining it leads to accidents.
• Human Error: Should a ski lift operator, skier, or snowboarder act recklessly or fail to observe the guidelines for safety, an accident can occur even if it is not their direct goal.
• Natural Factors: Environmental weather conditions such as snow, high winds, or ice can change the safe operation of ski lifts.
Consequences of Ski Lift Accidents
Ski lift accidents can have severe consequences, including:
• Injury: The effects of a ski lift injury may include minor cuts and bruises or may range to brain and spinal cord injuries.
• Fatality: In some extreme cases, due to the accident, the skier could die.
• Emotional Trauma: Other than physical, a lift accident can lead to anxiety, depression and even PTSD.
Seeking Compensation for Ski Lift Accidents
Compensation is an option worth exploring if you have suffered from a ski lift accident. To be thorough with your case, it’s important to get as much evidence as you can by gathering medical, witnesses and reports of the lift accident. Our medical record analysis services are available to attorneys who want to review medical records more efficiently, making them easier to get pertinent supporting evidence for the claim.
How Our Medical Record Review Services Can Help
Our medical record review services are designed to help attorneys build strong cases for clients who have been injured in ski lift accidents. Our team of expert medical record reviewers can:
- Review and analyze medical records: Supporting a client’s claim case may require analyzing his/her medical history and making sense of all the information put together evidence in the claim.
- Identify inconsistencies: There may be gaps in a patient’s medical history that can be pinpointed to put the defendant’s case at risk.
- Provide expert testimony: Our medical record reviewers can provide expert testimony in court, helping to explain complex medical information to judges and jurors.
Case Study 1:
Overview of the case: A woman aged 35 years was involved in a skiing accident where she suffered injury at a ski resort in Colorado. After this incident, the guy X fell off the chairlift which ultimately led him to suffering a serious trauma to the head.
Challenges: The accident that took place was attributed to the skier due to his own reckless behavior, according to the defendant, which in this case is the ski resort. There was a need for the skier’s lawyer to collect information that could factually support the notion that negligence on the part of the resort and not the skier is what caused the accident.
Solutions: We addressed the skier’s medical history by using our medical record review service. These accounts were used to impeach the defendant’s arguments and we were able to show some inconsistencies in the records. A professional medical record reviewer presented himself in court and was able to explain the condition of the skier and the circumstances of the accident, hence the reason for the occurrence of the accident in the first place.
Case Study 2:
Overview of the case: A skier lift accident which occurred in California left a 25 year old snowboarder handicapped after he suffered severe injuries to the spinal cord, which resulted in him being paralyzed below his waist.
Challenges: The accident was a result, as the defendant states, of lack of safety measures being adopted and the same applies to the construct of the ski resort, the defendant. As an attorney of the snowboarder there was a need to organize evidence that could show that the failure or negligence was solely on the resort and not the snowboarder.
Solutions: In addition to this, our medical record review services were used to examine and assess the snowboarder’s medical history. We pinpointed important details pertinent to the case that suggested the negligence of the resort was a causative factor in the happening of the accident. The attorney brought an expert in reviewing witness medical records to court in order to help them explain the injuries sustained by the snow boarder and the reason for that occurrence.
Preventing Ski Lift Accidents
While ski lift accidents can be devastating, there are steps that can be taken to prevent them. Ski resorts can:
- Regularly maintain and inspect equipment: Lifts should be regularly serviced and inspected to help in the identification of defects that may lead to future accidents.
- Provide safety training: Every ski resorts have the potential of sponsoring their employee skiers’ safety training as one way to minimize accidents that emanates from ignorance.
- Implement safety protocols: Ski resorts should also have safety protocols in place such as mandatory wearing of safety harness by skiers.
Conclusion
Accidents involving ski lifts can be catastrophic such that they lead to injuries or loss of life. But, when one is cognizant of the risks, the causes and the consequences of such accidents, it becomes possible to avoid them. If you or your loved one has suffered due to a ski lift accident, then it is best to get compensation for your suffering. For those clients who have suffered from ski lift accidents, our medical record review services assist attorneys in strengthening the cases for these clients.