Iowa Skiing Accidents in Colorado

Attorney who understands the high country.

Even though Iowa is essentially flat, has no mountains and no real ski season, Iowans still love to pack it in and head off to Colorado for a spring break ski trip.

Injuries go hand in hand with skiing. If you ski, or snowboard, then you know I am right. Destroying your knees is quite common. I’ve cut my head open as the skis plunged into a depression, sending one ski helicoptering towards the back of my head. A few stitches later I was back on the slopes. [Damn those edges were sharp!]

As a lawyer practicing personal injury, I have seen my fair share of clients who want to sue the ski resort. Sometimes yes and sometimes no, not going to happen. I’ve represented parents whose child died from skiing. There were clients who ran into a tree, a ski chair pylon, another skier collided with them or an exposed rock or even a chair lift problem.

First thing you need to know is that any objects you might run into, that can be actionable, must be manmade. Running into a tree or a rock or falling off a cliff are not actionable, unless of course you are pushed into or over it. Do it to yourself and the law does not allow you a cause of action.

• Don’t ski alone.
• Ski far enough away from objects that can avoid surprises.
• Keep a ski or snowboarding partner in sight at all times.
• Keep your head on a swivel and always be able to stop within an assured clear distance ahead.
• Keep your cellphone and/or communication device on you and easily accessible.

I have several lawyer colleagues in Colorado who I have the pleasure of working with.

Nothing is easy about these cases and especially if you don’t have the evidence you need.

• Get names of witnesses.
• Get the name or names of the people who caused the injury or accident.
• Get the names of ski resort personnel.
• Get email addresses of anyone with
• Take photographs of the injuries.
• Send people back to the scene to take photographs of the area where you were injured.
• Do not accept blame. Do not accept responsibility. After all you are either injured or grieving and have few facts.

Condolences go out to those impacted by these deaths.

“This is the fifth on-resort incident leading to a death to be reported this slopesport season in Colorado. In addition to those deaths, one skier and one snowboarder have died in the backcountry.”

According to OutThere Colorado at least five on-resort deaths from skiing have occurred to date.

Other articles that might interest you.

• 23-year-old dies after incident on expert-rated Vail Mountain trail.
• Massive avalanche visible from town of Telluride caught on camera.
• Skier dies in ‘tree well’ accident at Colorado ski resort

What is a ski well? “A tree well forms when snow accumulates around the base of a tree, but not under the lower branches or around the trunk. This results in a hole forming around the base of the tree, which gets progressively deeper as the snowpack height increases. Often times, a skier will fall and wind up head first down a tree well.”

The Lombardi Law Firm follows accident victims all across Iowa. We have represented over a thousand accident victims in almost every county in Iowa and in many states that include Colorado, Minnesota, Missouri, Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska and California. If you have a question about your personal injury accident, call Steve at 515-222-1110 or email him at sdlombardi@aol.com. Contact form

The Lombardi Law Firm is a West Des Moines personal injury firm that is selective about which cases we take. We do not shoe every horse that comes in the barn. Nor do we advertise on buses or on TV. We are the peoples’ personal injury lawyers. We help people.

And no, it doesn’t cost you anything to call and just talk to us. Call to schedule a Zoom.