Gwyneth Paltrow appears in court over Utah ski collision
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Actor Gwyneth Paltrow has been accused of fleeing the scene of a ski collision after allegedly plowing into a retired doctor who sustained severe injuries.
Paltrow claims she was hit from behind by another skier suffering minor injuries, whereas Terry Sanderson, 76, a retired optometrist, claims that it was Paltrow who slammed into him in a “full body hit” as she skied the slopes of Park City, Utah.
He says the movie star and Goop CEO crashed into him with such force that he was left with “permanent traumatic brain injury, four broken ribs, pain, suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, emotional distress and disfigurement,” according to Law & Crime.
The trial will decide who’s responsible for the damages which began at $3.1m but were since lowered to a $300,000 claim against Paltrow. She is seeking a single dollar in damages and for her legal fees to be covered.
Witness Craig Ramon testified on Tuesday that Ms Paltrow left “three to four” minutes after the collision and did not offer to help Mr Sanderson, who was reportedly face down in the snow and unconscious.
Gwyneth Paltrow leaves court after first day of ski crash trial
(AP)
(AP)
Gwyneth Paltrow’s husband Brad Falchuk and Kids, Apple and Moses, to testify
The court was told by the actor’s lawyer Stephen Owens that the trip she took to Deer Valley “was a sentimental issue” for Paltrow following the death of her father in 2002.
“So it was a sentimental issue because she had started getting back into skiing and she did it because she wanted her kids to learn like she had,” Mr Owens said in his opening argument.
(AP)
He told the court that Ms Paltrow’s now-husband Mr Falchuk, 52, was also present in Utah on the day of the accident.
(AP)
“And [Falchuk] has kids the exact same age as Gwyneth’s daughter and son,” Mr wens told the court. “And this was really their first trip to sort of a have a mixed, see-if-this-might-work. So it was a special time and it was a lovely day.”
(AP)
Mr Owens described the 26 February 2016 skiing group as “she, Brad, now her husband who you’re going to hear from, her daughter Apple, who you’re going to hear from, Moses, who you’re gonna hear from.”
Jury excused for the day
The jury has been sent home for the day and will return to court on Wednesday morning.
Mr Sanderson’s ex-girlfriend testifies in court
Karlene Davidson dated plaintiff Terry Sanderson for about 18 months prior to the ski accident. She told the court that “he seemed to cry easily” after the accident.
“He would get frustrated and tear up,” she told the jury.
She said after the accident he “was pushing me away” and that she felt he was trying to get her to “move on with” her life.
“He withdrew, he didn’t engage any more, even with emails when I was gone,” she said. “It wasn’t there any more.”
“He was not the same man,” she told the court as she said she worked “very hard” to save their relationship.
“Now looking back and seeing it was a brain injury I would say so now,” she said when asked if the ski accident brought an end to their relationship.
Under cross-examination, she said she would not dispute any records that showed Mr Sanderson had previous medical conditions such as depression.
(Law & Crime)
She said “he lost consciousness” during the accident and had not been able to tell her what happened. But afterwards, he complained about a rib injury.
Court takes recess
Jury will reconvene before the first day of trial is wrapped up at 7pm EST.
Gwyneth Paltrow’s attorney pokes holes in witness testimony
The defence is questioning Mr Ramon on the exact position of the individuals involved in the collision.
Mr Ramon said that he came to a stop 40 feet above Mr Sanderson. He then skied down to where the retired optometrist was.
(CourtTV)
Defence seeks to undermine colourblind witness testimony
During cross-examination by the defence, witness Craig Ramon testified he was colourblind.
Mr Ramon had previously testified that he saw Ms Paltrow land on top of Mr Sanderson before bouncing off down the mountain slope.
Defence attorneys questioned Mr Ramon on the accuracy of his perception, noting his colourblindness.
Court reconvenes
The defence will now cross-examine witness Craig Ramon.
Witness says retired optometrist was ‘scared’ after he regained consciousness
In his testimony on Tuesday, Craig Ramon said he was concerned about Terry Sanderson’s well-being after he and Gwyneth Paltrow crashed into each other while skiing.
“He was complaining about his ribs,” Mr Ramon said.
Mr Ramon, who was skiing with a group of people and Mr Sanderson on the day of the accident, said that Mr Sanderson was disoriented and in pain after he regained consciousness.
Mr Ramon helped get him assistance and was with him at an InstaCare station before Mr Sanderson was referred to an emergency room.
By the time Mr Ramon left, an hour and a half after the accident, he says Mr Sanderson was still not coherent.
Gwyneth Paltrow ‘got up pretty quick’ after skiing collision
Craig Ramon, who witnessed the accident between Ms Paltrow and Mr Sanderson, testified that Mr Sanderson did not move after the collision and remained unconscious for a few minutes.
Mr Ramon says Ms Paltrow’s ski instructor Eric Christiansen then arrived at the exact spot where the accident took place.
“Then he starts yelling at Terry, ‘What do you do?’” Mr Ramon testified. “And Terry was not moving. And it was getting louder and louder.”
“I got to the point that I was concerned about Terry, who was not moving, so I just moved a few feet in front of [Christiansen] and then he stopped yelling.”
Mr Ramon said Ms Paltrow “got up very quickly” and “went straight down.” He claims she did not ask if Mr Sanderson was okay.
