Child Is Thrown From Chairlift At Ski Resort

This case involves a 12-year-old child who was thrown out of a moving chairlift at a ski resort. An employee of the ski resort was on his board in an area that had been cornered off for skiing.

ByZach Barreto

Updated on

Child Is Thrown From Chairlift At Ski Resort

Case Overview

While on his board, the employee slid into the child’s path of travel while he was on the chairlift. The chairlift was moving at a rate of 400ft/min. The employee attempted to get out of the way, jumped, and went parallel to the ground. As a result, his board went vertical, caught onto the child’s skiis, and pulled the child’s legs under the back of the chair. The child was catapulted out of his chair and his body pulled forward 8-10 feet out of the chairlift. An expert was sought to reconstruct how fast and far the child was thrown, as well as the force of impact, and the type of impact he might have incurred.

Questions to the Accident Reconstruction expert and their responses

Q1

Please describe your biomechanical experience as it relates to falls of this nature.

I have worked on many such cases involving vertical heights, including several ski resort accidents. I am a biomechanical expert, and I earned my Ph.D. in the field of kinetics.

Q2

Would you be able to determine how fast and far the child was thrown, as well as the details of the impact?

I would be able to reconstruct the accident and determine the details of the impact. I can run an assessment of the various forces in this accident as well as the potential risk.

About the author

Zach Barreto

Zach Barreto

Zach Barreto is a distinguished professional in the legal industry, currently serving as the Senior Vice President of Research at the Expert Institute. With a deep understanding of a broad range of legal practice areas, Zach's expertise encompasses personal injury, medical malpractice, mass torts, defective products, and many other sectors. His skills are particularly evident in handling complex litigation matters, including high-profile cases like the Opioids litigation, NFL Concussion Litigation, California Wildfires, 3M earplugs, Elmiron, Transvaginal Mesh, NFL Concussion Litigation, Roundup, Camp Lejeune, Hernia Mesh, IVC filters, Paraquat, Paragard, Talcum Powder, Zantac, and many others.

Under his leadership, the Expert Institute’s research team has expanded impressively from a single member to a robust team of 100 professionals over the last decade. This growth reflects his ability to navigate the intricate and demanding landscape of legal research and expert recruitment effectively. Zach has been instrumental in working on nationally significant litigation matters, including cases involving pharmaceuticals, medical devices, toxic chemical exposure, and wrongful death, among others.

At the Expert Institute, Zach is responsible for managing all aspects of the research department and developing strategic institutional relationships. He plays a key role in equipping attorneys for success through expert consulting, case management, strategic research, and expert due diligence provided by the Institute’s cloud-based legal services platform, Expert iQ.

Educationally, Zach holds a Bachelor's degree in Political Science and European History from Vanderbilt University.

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