Injuries sustained by a skier involved in a collision with Gwyneth Paltrow could not “plausibly” have been caused by him crashing into her, a US court has heard.
Retired optometrist Terry Sanderson showed “typical hallmarks” of a traumatic brain injury and “deteriorated abruptly” following the 2016 incident at the Deer Valley Resort in Utah.
The Oscar-winning actress is being sued by Mr Sanderson for allegedly “slamming” into him from behind in a collision that left him unresponsive and with several broken ribs.
On the second day of the trial, taking place in Park City, Utah, jurors heard testimony from radiologist Dr Wendell Gibby, who examined Mr Sanderson in the aftermath of the crash.
Dr Gibby told the court that Mr Sanderson would have “protected himself” if he had been about to collide with Ms Paltrow head-on.
“I think it’s very unlikely that this would have been caused by Terry running into Gwyneth Paltrow,” he said.
“Based on the stated testimony of the defendant, of [witness] Craig Ramon, and the pattern of injuries that are present ... what I believe happened was that he was struck from the left side and that forced him into the ground.
“The combined weight of the two individuals slamming into the ground caused the fracture and the head injury.
“I don’t think it would be plausible that, if he were running into her, he would have broken the ribs on the side of his chest – he likely would have had his arms extended, he would have protected himself.
“Had he been the person running into her, I don’t think he would have sustained these types of injuries.”
Dr Gibby added that Mr Sanderson had been “a very high-functioning, high-energy person” prior to the incident, but that afterwards “he deteriorated abruptly and many of the activities he was doing he stopped doing”.
“I think that the ability to function at a high level was lost for Terry ... many of the things that gave him pleasure in life seem to have been abruptly diminished by this injury,” he said.
Ms Paltrow attended court in person and wore a cream-coloured cardigan.
During the first day of the trial, jurors heard from Mr Ramon, who had been skiing with Mr Sanderson and was present in the aftermath of the collision. Mr Ramon said he had seen a skier, later identified as Paltrow, “slam” into Mr Sanderson and later “bolt” down the hill without saying a word.
He also said that a Deer Valley employee had arrived on the scene shortly after and told him: “Your buddy just took out Gwyneth Paltrow.”
Mr Sanderson is seeking damages of up to £2,688,000, said Lawrence Buhler, who is representing Paltrow.
Ms Paltrow, who was described by her legal team as a “conservative” skier, is counter-suing Mr Sanderson for one dollar, alleging that he was the one who crashed into her.
The trial continues.
