Skiing accidents concern injury lawyers

With the tragic case of Natasha Richardson in the press of late, skiing accidents have come under scrutiny in the media, with many condemning the sport as 'dangerous'.

Natasha Richardson was injured on the 16th of March this year in a skiing accident at Mont-Tremblant, Québec, Canada, where she was reported to have sustained serious head injuries.

After spending a number of days in a critical condition at the Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur de Montréal, where her family kept a bedside vigil,she passed away.

The accident has prompted one personal injury lawyer to say: "This tragic accident highlights that whilst skiing is a fun sport, the injuries can be very serious and you should take legal advice if you have been seriously hurt in a skiing accident.”

He added that “from a financial point of view it just shows taking out insurance is essential because often the accident occurs abroad and the medical costs have been known to run into millions of pounds."

Personal injury lawyers have also reflected over whether Natasha's family would be entitled to make a personal injury claim.

While skiing dangerous sport and holiday makers enter into the activity aware of the dangers, the resort and holiday organisers have a duty of care to their customers.

If a preventable accident occurs, despite the fact that it is abroad, a personal injury lawyer should be contacted and a compensation claim lodged.

However, a spokeswoman for the Ski Club of Great Britain said that most skiing and snowboarding accidents are caused by skiers and snowboarders putting themselves at risk with reckless behaviour.

She said: "The Ski Club of Great Britain advises skiers and snowboarders to always be in control of their speed and ensure they are skiing or snowboarding within their own ability. It is important to be aware of other mountain users and obey the rules of the slopes.”

“As long as these guidelines are followed, skiing and snowboarding can be enjoyed safely and by people of all ages and levels," concluded the spokeswoman.

Dr Mike Langran, an expert in alpine injuries, argues that skiing accidents are actually very rare, saying: "I don't personally regard snow sports in general as dangerous sports at all.

"For a start, the overall injury risk combining all the snow sports is about 0.2% to 0.4%.

"This is really very low. Think of an average game of football. Usually two or three players end up with an injury at the end of the game."

Injury rates on the slopes have been decreasing over the years, he said.

Dr Langran added: "From the 1970s to the early 1990s the absolute injury rate for alpine skiing has decreased by about 50%, mainly due to the development of release bindings and ski brakes.

"The vast majority of snow sports injuries occur as the direct result of an isolated fall, by which I simply mean something goes wrong and the person falls over.

"Most of the time the injured person has lost control, often travelling too fast for the prevailing conditions and on a slope inappropriate to their ability level.

"About 10% of accidents result from a collision with another person or object, 5% are lift related and 5% occur as the result of equipment failure. Secondary factors are of course important - for example impact with solid snow or ice."