No criminal charges in fatal ski collision, prosecutors say

Colorado prosecutors have decided not to press criminal charges in a recent fatal ski collision.

2013-03-23

March 23, 2013 (Press-News.org) No criminal charges in fatal ski collision, prosecutors say

A Colorado ski trip took a deadly turn recently when two skiers collided on Aspen Mountain. After an investigation of the incident, prosecutors have decided not to press criminal charges against the surviving skier, CBS News reported.

The collision occurred on February 4, 2013, when a 48-year-old woman was struck by another skier while standing on lower Spar Gulch, the mountain's main run. The woman had reportedly come to a stop after skiing down an expert trail when she was struck by another skier who merged into the run from another trail. The woman was thrown to the ground by the collision, suffering a fatal traumatic brain injury.

According to a report by CBS News, prosecutors' decision not to press charges was based on a determination that there was not enough evidence to establish that the other skier had been criminally reckless or negligent.

The recent tragedy was the third snowsports-related death in the area this season, the Aspen Times reported. Nationwide, an average of over 40 people die in skiing and snowboarding accidents each year, according to statistics from the U.S. National Ski Areas Association, and many more are seriously injured.

Colorado ski injury liability

As any skier knows, there are certain risks inherent to the sport, and many ski injuries are no one's fault. In some cases, however, injuries occur as a result of other skiers' recklessness or negligence. In these cases, an injured skier has the option of pursuing compensation for his or her injuries through a court of law, even if no criminal charges are filed.

A law called the Colorado Ski Safety Act addresses the safety standards and liability issues that apply to skiers and ski area operators in the state. Under the law, ski resort operators are immune from liability for any injuries that skiers suffer as a result of the risks inherent to skiing, such as changing weather conditions or collisions with trees, rocks or other objects.

However, the law also establishes that skiers have a responsibility to ski safely and provides that they can be liable for any injuries they cause by failing to uphold that responsibility. Specifically, the Colorado Ski Safety Act states that skiers have a legal duty to ski within their abilities and maintain control of their speed and course at all times. In addition, people skiing downhill are considered to have the primary responsibility for avoiding collision with people or objects below them. When skiers fail to uphold their legal duty to ski safely, they can be liable for any injuries that occur as a result.

A skier who negligently causes an injury in Colorado can be liable for the injured person's medical bills, lost income and other harm resulting from the incident. Similarly, when a skier causes the death of another person, he or she may be held liable in a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the victim's surviving family members.

Speak to an attorney

If you have been injured or suffered the loss of a loved one due to someone else's carelessness in Colorado, contact an experienced personal injury lawyer to discuss the possibility of pursuing legal action. An attorney can advise you of your options and, if you decide to pursue a claim, will work vigorously on your behalf to secure compensation for your losses.

Article provided by Cederberg Law Firm P.C.
Visit us at www.cederberglaw.com

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Studies show head injuries more serious than suspected

2013-03-23

Studies show head injuries more serious than suspected According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 1.7 million people in the U.S. suffer traumatic brain injuries each year. Medical professionals classify TBI as an acquired form of brain damage where sudden trauma to the head causes damage to the brain. TBI can range from mild, such as when people get struck in the head and sustain a momentary loss of consciousness, to severe injuries where an object pierces the skull and penetrates brain tissue. Three studies published in March 2013 reveal that ...

Switch And Save On Energy Bills With Comparethemarket.com

2013-03-23

With 1 in 5 households in Britain spending more than 10% of their income on gas and electricity according to new research, many consumers are looking for ways to make savings on their utility bills . Using a price comparison site such as comparethemarket.com is one way of making sure you have the most affordable deal on the market. Russell Davis, Director of Utilities at comparethemarket.com explains: "With gas and electricity bills taking up a significant percentage of household income for so many people, making a saving can make a big difference to the household ...

Online Pawnshop PawnUp.com is Increasing their List of Accepted Items - Again

2013-03-23

"It is not a secret that many online pawn stores keep on limiting the list of valuables they accept. The reasoning behind this business model, I believe, is their inability to move these types of items and or make big profits on them. Here, at PawnUp.com, we want to make a difference and help more people get more cash for their items as often as possible. For these reasons, we decided to increase our list of accepted items again." - said Jay Martin, a spokesperson for PawnUp.com. Online pawnshop PawnUp.com has helped thousands of people to get cash for their ...

Health care quality measurement for doctors' offices needs improvement

2013-03-22

NEW YORK (March 21, 2013) -- In its 2001 report Crossing the Quality Chasm, the Institute of Medicine outlined six domains of quality in medical care: safety, effectiveness, patient-centeredness, timeliness, efficiency and equity. But, Dr. Tara Bishop writes in a new viewpoint article published online March 21, in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), current quality measures for the outpatient setting do not include all of these domains. As a result, quality measurement and quality improvement efforts in the outpatient setting have neglected critical ...

UC Davis study calls for research on the efficacy and safety of vena cava filters

2013-03-22

(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) —An evaluation of practice patterns in California hospitals showed a large variation in the use of metal devices called inferior vena cava filters, or VCFs, despite little evidence of their safety and effectiveness. Led by UC Davis physicians, the study demonstrated that hospital rather than patient characteristics best predict VCF use. Patients in larger, urban and private hospitals with more than 400 beds were most likely to be treated with one of the metal devices, which are placed intravenously to prevent pulmonary embolism, a serious and often ...

Study shows that blocking an inflammation pathway prevents cardiac fibrosis

2013-03-22

(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) —New research from UC Davis published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that blocking an enzyme that promotes inflammation can prevent the tissue damage following a heart attack that often leads to heart failure. Led by Nipavan Chiamvimonvat, cardiologist and professor of internal medicine, a team of researchers tested a compound that inhibits the enzyme soluble epoxide hydrolase -- or sEH -- one of the key players in the robust immune-system response that heals tissue following an injury. The enzyme, however, can become ...

UCLA, Caltech research on immune-cell therapy could strengthen promising melanoma treatment

2013-03-22

A new study of genetically modified immune cells by scientists from UCLA and the California Institute of Technology could help improve a promising treatment for melanoma, an often fatal form of skin cancer. The research, which appears March 21 in the advance online edition of the journal Cancer Discovery, was led by James Heath, a member of UCLA's Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research and UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. Heath is a professor of molecular and medical pharmacology at UCLA and also holds the Elizabeth W. ...

Mapping blank spots in the cheeseboard maze

2013-03-22

This press release is available in German. During spatial learning, space is represented in the hippocampus through plastic changes in the connections between neurons. Jozsef Csicsvari and his collaborators investigate spatial learning in rats using the cheeseboard maze apparatus. This apparatus contains many holes, some of which are selected to hide food in order to test spatial memory. During learning trials, animals learn where the rewards are located, and after a period sleep, the researchers test whether the animal can recall these reward locations. In previous ...

How can basin rocks recorded formation of Dabie orogen?

2013-03-22

Deep subduction of continental crust and rapid exhumation of ultrahigh-pressure metamorphic rocks, and its mechanism have been one of the most important issues of the world's attention in the Dabie orogen. Professor LIU Shaofeng from State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, China University of Geosciences (Beijing) and his co-author set out to tackle this problem. Their study results fully demonstrated that basin sediments recorded Dabie formation process and supplied important trails for Dabie uplifting and exhumation. Their work, entitled "Mesozoic ...

'Water Security': Experts propose a UN definition on which much depends

2013-03-22

Amid changing weather and water patterns worldwide and forecasts of more severe transformations to come, calls have been growing for the UN Security Council to include water issues on its agenda. And there's rising international support for adopting "universal water security" as one of the Sustainable Development Goals -- a set of mid-term global objectives being formulated to succeed the UN's Millennium Development Goals, agreed by world leaders in 2000 for achievement by 2015. But what does "water security" mean? The absence of a definition undermines progress ...

No criminal charges in fatal ski collision, prosecutors say

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES: