Gwyneth Paltrow's claim fellow skier crashed into her 'not plausible' because of his injuries, court hears
23 March 2023, 07:19 | Updated: 23 March 2023, 08:11
It is not "plausible" that the injuries sustained by a man who collided with Gwyneth Paltrow on a ski slope were caused by him crashing into her, a US court has heard.
Retired optometrist Terry Sanderson has showed the "typical hallmarks" of brain trauma after a collision with Ms Paltrow at Deer Valley ski resort in Utah in 2016, a jury was told.
Mr Sanderson is suing the Oscar-nominated actress for allegedly "slamming" into him from behind, leaving him unresponsive before fleeing the scene.
On the second day of the trial, jurors heard testimony from radiologist Dr Wendell Gibby, who examined Mr Sanderson in the aftermath of the crash.
Dr Gibby told the court that Mr Sanderson would have "protected himself" if he had collided with Ms Paltrow head on.
"I think it's very unlikely that this would have been caused by Terry running into Gwyneth Paltrow," he said.
"Based on the stated testimony of the defendant, of (witness) Craig Ramon, and the pattern of injuries that are present...what I believe happened was that he was struck from the left side and that forced him into the ground.
"The combined weight of the two individuals slamming into the ground caused the fracture and the head injury.
"I don't think it would be plausible that if he were running into her he would have broken the ribs on the side of his chest - he likely would have had his arms extended, he would have protected himself.
"Had he been the person running into her, I don't think he would have sustained these types of injuries."
Mr Sanderson had been "a very high-functioning, high-energy person" before the incident, but "deteriorated abruptly", Dr Gibby said.
"His personal interactions with his children and grandchildren suffered and he had trouble multi-tasking... Those are all typical hallmarks of someone who has had a traumatic brain injury.
"I think that the ability to function at a high level was lost for Terry... many of the things that gave him pleasure in life seem to have been abruptly diminished by this injury."
The defence is seeking damages of up to 3,276,000 dollars (£2,688,000), said Lawrence Buhler, who is representing Ms Paltrow.
Ms Paltrow is counter-suing Mr Sanderson for one dollar, alleging that he was the one who crashed into her.
The trial continues.
