In the 2017-2018 season over 7 million skiers and snowboarders of all ages and abilities visited Colorado’s 26 ski areas to enjoy world-class ski and snowboard terrain. While most skiers and snowboarders enjoy the slopes safely, there are a handful of bad actors who can cause ski accidents. One type of dangerous skier or snowboarder is one who chooses to ski or snowboard while drunk or high. Drunk skiing (or snowboarding as the case may be) or skiing while high is a problem at Colorado’s resorts, and especially when people get hurt because of it. At Cook, Bradford & Levy, LLC, our Colorado drunk-skiing accident lawyers have extensive experience as skiers and snowboarders, and we are also experienced personal injury lawyers serving Colorado’s mountain communities. If you have been hurt in a drunk ski accident or in an accident where you believe that the skier or snowboarder who was intoxicated by marijuana or other drugs, our Colorado drunk-skiing accident lawyers can help you hold that person responsible for your harms and losses. Call us today at 303-543-1000 for a free consultation about how we might be able to help you with your claim, regardless of if you live in Colorado, another state, or another country.
Drunk and High Skiing and Snowboarding is a Problem in ColoradoLike most activities, the safety of skiing and snowboarding depends on other participants following the rules and being respectful of other people. All too often visitors to Colorado are on vacation from other places and are unfamiliar with how alcohol or drugs might impact their bodies at high altitude. A Colorado drunk-skiing accident attorney understands that the effects of alcohol or marijuana are increased at high altitude and can cause people to be more intoxicated than they otherwise would be. This creates a problem when a person who has been drinking or smoking decides to go skiing or snowboarding, something that we sometimes refer to as skiing while intoxicated. Specifically, just like drunk-driving, drunk-skiing means that people are more likely to ski or snowboard carelessly by going too fast, turning too closely to others, or otherwise disregarding the safety of adults and children on the mountain. As you might expect, drunk or high skiers and snowboarders can and do cause accidents.
At Cook, Bradford & Levy, LLC, our Colorado drunk-skiing accident lawyers treat skiing while intoxicated accidents as if it were a drunk-driving case. This means that ski accidents involving drunk or high skiers or snowboarders are characterized as “aggravated liability” cases that are more than just “accidents.” The truth is, the decision to drink or smoke and then ski is a conscious choice to put other skiers and snowboarders at risk for being hurt. In the drunk-driving context, the result is that insurance companies pay more than they normally would to resolve a claim.
What do I do if I Suspect the Person Who Hurt Me is Drunk or High?After any type of collision with another skier, our Colorado drunk ski accident attorneys recommend that you immediately contact ski patrol to come and make a report of the accident including how it happened, and whether the careless skier or snowboarder was drunk or high. If you do not feel that the ski patroller is addressing the issue, we suggest that you specifically raise your concern with the ski patroller who, although not law enforcement, can either call the police or do a very basis investigation to determine whether drugs or alcohol may have a part in the crash. At a minimum, it is essential that you exchange full contact information with the skier or snowboarder including full name, phone number, permanent address, and ski pass number or ticket number. We also suggest that you photograph the driver’s license and photograph or take video of the other party.
Who Pays if I am Injured in a Skiing While Intoxicated Accident?A knowledgeable Colorado lawyer who does accidents caused by skiing while intoxicated understands that, most of the time (but not all the time), the responsible party is the drunk skier who caused the collision. In this scenario, a Colorado drunk-skiing accident lawyer will make the claim against the homeowner’s insurance policy of the drunk skier or snowboarder. If the person who hurt you is young and does not own a home or have a renter’s insurance policy, we may be able to find coverage on the drunk skier’s parents’ homeowner’s insurance policy. If there is no insurance coverage, a good Colorado drunk ski accident attorney will do an asset check to find out what property or other assets the wrongdoer might own. We can then attempt to attach any judgment to such property. To be sure, each case is unique and must be investigated to determine how many insurance policies or how many assets might be available to support a financial recovery.
If you or a family member has been seriously injured in a drunk-skiing accident, we invite you to call our Colorado drunk-skiing accident attorneys today at 303-543-1000 for a free consultation about your case and how we might be able to help you.