Austrian ski trip has life changing consequences

We are acting for an experienced skier who was injured while on holiday in Austria during April 2008.

His group caught the first lift of the day and he was therefore one of the first skiers to come down the slopes. As he descended the piste, he skied into a mound of hard packed ice, located close to a nearby mountain restaurant. Both his bindings released, causing him to spring forward and flip onto his back.

Once admitted to hospital, he was diagnosed with a fracture dislocation at C4/5 and a compression fracture of D5 in the thoracic region. Surgery was carried out to stabilise the damage between the C4 and C5 discs. Our client is no longer able to make use of his arms and has had to move to a house that is more suitable for his needs. He also relies on carers 24 hours a day to assist him with daily tasks.

We are pursuing a claim against the owners of the restaurant because they used a snow blower to remove the snow from their veranda but omitted to clear away the mound of snow from the piste or to mark it as a hazard. Several witnesses have been interviewed by a judge at the scene of the accident and liability remains in dispute.

It is anticipated the case will go to trial towards the end of 2013.

Return to case studies