A man who collided with Gwyneth Paltrow on a ski slope says he is “living another life” following the incident, which left him with severe injuries.
Terry Sanderson said the crash had caused the breakdown of his mental health and relationships.
Retired optometrist Mr Sanderson is suing the Oscar-winning actor over the collision at the Deer Valley resort in Utah in 2016, alleging she fell on top of him, leaving him with several broken ribs and a severe concussion.
Ms Paltrow has denied the allegations, claiming Mr Sanderson collided with her, and is counter-suing him.
Giving evidence on Monday, Mr Sanderson took a moment to collect himself before describing the incident, saying remembering what happened “takes my breath away”.
He said: “Everything was great and then I heard nothing I’ve heard before at a ski resort – it was a blood-curdling scream.
“It was like someone was out of control and was going to hit a tree and die. Someone is out of control and they’re really seriously out of control.”
He added: “I got hit in my back so hard … it felt like a serious, serious smack. I’ve never been hit that hard and I’m flying.
“All I saw was a whole lot of snow and I didn’t see the sky, but I was flying in that sense, I had no control.
“The ground was coming up, no one was in front of me … it was quite a ways to the ground. I said, ‘You’ve gotta protect your face’ – that was the last thing I remember.
“Everything was black.”
Asked if he thought it was “cool” that he had collided with a celebrity, after learning that the other person involved in the crash was Gwyneth Paltrow, Mr Sanderson said “absolutely not”.
“I’m not into celebrity worship, so I didn’t care at that point,” he said.
Describing the physical and mental effects of the crash, he said: “I can’t ski anymore, I was told if I did and had another crash I could wind up full time in a nursing home.”
He said he had attempted to go skiing again since on his own but it had felt like “skiing through landmines”.
“I’d have to stop every 30 yards to make sure no one was behind me. I gradually gave it up,” he said.
He added: “I’m like living another life now.”
Mr Sanderson later became emotional as he described the end of his relationship with former partner Karlene Davidson in the aftermath of the crash.
“I knew she didn’t buy into this,” he said. “I said I’m not sure I’m going to get to back to normal again and I don’t want you to feel that I’m a crippled vet and you’re going to stick it out with me, because I know you would.
“But don’t do it – you need your life. You run right now.”
He added: “It was a sad time for both of us, I know, and she’s in a great relationship now … and that was the purpose, and I think better than what I would have brought her, honestly. It’s hard to admit that.”
The court has previously heard testimony from Ms Paltrow, who reiterated multiple times that she had been the “victim” of the crash.
She said felt “very sorry” for Mr Sanderson’s declining health following the incident but said she was not “at fault”.
Mr Sanderson is seeking damages of a minimum of £244,000, while Ms Paltrow’s counter-claim is for one dollar.
