Lubbock Ski Accident Lawyers

CALL (800) 863-5312 to set an appointment with one of our Lubbock ski accident lawyers

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Just over 8% of people participate in winter sports, but those who do ski spend a significant amount of time and money on the sport. Many participants have to travel to ski resorts, buy the appropriate clothing and gear, and then pay a fee to the ski resort. After all of the effort that goes into a creating a fun ski trip, it is all the more disappointing for skiers and snowboarders when tragedy strikes. Our Lubbock ski accident lawyers can help you navigate the legal process if you’ve been injured in a ski or snowboarding accident.

If you or a loved one were in a ski accident, get the guidance and compassion you deserve. Speak with a Lubbock ski accident lawyer at Zinda Law Group by calling (800) 863-5312 and scheduling your free consultation.

How a Lubbock Ski Accident Lawyer can help you

If you are the recent victim of a ski or snowboard accident, you might not know where to go or how to start seeking recovery for your injuries. Perhaps you are thinking about researching the law and representing yourself in your attempt to sue the person who harmed you. While you could represent yourself, it may be more helpful to hire someone you can trust with your case. A personal injury lawyer could help you with the the following parts of the legal process:

1.  Filing Your Claim

All claims officially begin when the plaintiff files them. Once you file a claim against the person who caused your accident, that person will receive notice of your claim and can respond. You must file within two years of the accident, or you will lose your chance to recover compensation. You do not need to know everything about the accident when you file your claim since you and your attorney will undergo discovery after you file.

2.  Conducting Discovery

Next, once you have successfully filed your claim, you and your lawyer can begin the legal process of discovery. At this stage, the parties to the lawsuit exchange the information they have about the accident. Here, your attorney can begin strategizing about the best way to present your claim persuasively and effectively.

Discovery gives the litigants an idea of what would happen if they went to trial. Each side deposes witnesses to the accidents as well at the parties to the lawsuit. The parties then predict how a jury would respond to the facts of the case and the witness statements. The outcome of the discovery process also informs litigants about the appropriate settlement amount.

3.  Negotiating Your Settlement

Next, your attorney can help you by negotiating your settlement. An experienced injury attorney knows how much your claim is worth because he or she has worked with victims of similar accidents to yours in the past. Importantly, the  defendant’s lawyers and insurance company will try to reduce the amount of compensation you deserve and will probably argue that the accident is your fault. Without an attorney, you might not be able to effectively rebut the defendant’s argument. However, with an attorney, you can stand up to the defendant’s counterarguments by using the available evidence.

4.  Pursuing Compensation

Finally, once your injury attorney has negotiated on your behalf, you may be able to reach an appropriate settlement with the defendant. If the defendant refuses to settle for an appropriate amount, you may have to go to trial to get compensated.

There are two, sometimes three, main types of compensation available to personal injury victims. First, economic damages cover the financial expenses you have incurred from your injury, including medical fees and missed wages from taking time off work to address your injuries. Second, non-economic damages cover the pain and suffering you endured as a result of the accident. Third, in some cases, courts deem it necessary to award punitive damages to the plaintiff to punish the defendant for an especially heinous tort, and the court intends the punitive fee to deter the defendant and others from repeating the accident in the future.

What to do after a ski or snowboard accident

No one can predict how they will react in the event of a ski or snowboard accident. The accident could trigger a fight or flight response or an adrenaline rush. Depending on the type and intensity of your injury, you might not be able to complete any of the listed steps immediately after the accident.

Get Medical Help if Necessary

If you are skiing or snowboarding at a resort, there should be medical staff ready to assist you with your injuries until you can visit the doctor on your own or until an ambulance arrives. If you do not think the injuries you suffered were very serious, visit a medical provider anyway to confirm that you are not injured. Also, if you do not visit the doctor after the ski accident, the defendant will probably argue that you were not injured and do not deserve compensation.

When you visit your doctor, document the diagnosis, treatment, and costs so that you have evidence of your injury, the amount it cost you, and the extent of your pain and suffering. We will talk later about some of the common injuries people receive while skiing and how some of those injuries can affect you for the rest of your life.

Read More: Ski & Snowboard Accident Lawyers

Document the Accident

If you can, try to find out how the accident happened and document everything you can relating to the accident once you have addressed your injuries. Take pictures of the location of the accident, your surroundings, any signs posted on the slope near the location of the accident, and your injuries.

Additionally, talk with people who saw the accident and get their names and contact information. Importantly, get the names and contact information of anyone involved in the accident. Get their addresses too so that you have additional contact information.

Speak with an Experienced Lubbock Ski Accident Lawyer

When it comes to seeking compensation for your injuries, the legal process can be rather complex and somewhat terrifying. Having an experienced ski accident lawyer on your side may mean the difference between receiving enough money to get you and your family through a difficult time and receiving nothing. Speaking with an experienced attorney at a personal injury law firm soon after your accident makes it easier to pursue maximum compensation and see meaningful results

What kinds of ski accidents can a personal injury lawyer help with?

The way an accident occurs on the slopes affects the type of injury you receive and who will be involved in the case. Accidents can occur between skiers or snowboarders, especially if the skier who caused the accident is inexperienced. Also, a skier might take too challenging of a slope and hit a stationery object.

Another way that an accident can occur is if the ski resort failed to keep you safe by allowing you to use worn out equipment or by providing you with an inadequate ski instructor. The resort may also have failed to keep up with the proper maintenance of chairlifts or failed to properly hire and train chairlift operators. In those cases, the ski resort must compensate victims for the injuries the victims suffered due to the resort’s negligence.

Types of skier injuries

Skier injures vary widely in kind and severity. The more serious the injury, the more compensation you could receive for your medical expenses, pain, and suffering. However, even small injuries that were caused by a ski resort’s negligence can be compensable.  Here are a few examples of injuries skiers and snowboarders may sustain in accidents on the slopes:

Mild Injuries

Mild injuries include those that may require some medical attention but will heal relatively quickly. Some injuries are so mild that you may wonder whether you could even receive any compensation for them. A lawyer will let you know if it is worthwhile for you to pursue legal action based on your injury. Mild injuries from skiing and snowboarding include the following:

• Bruises to the knees and elbows
• Whiplash, fractures, shoulder separation, and shoulder dislocation in the neck and shoulders
• Skier’s thumb, wrist sprains, and finger fractures in the hands
• Fractures and ACL ruptures in the legs

Head Injuries

Any time someone falls and hits his or their head, that person may suffer a traumatic brain injury (TBI). A TBI occurs when something strikes the head and causes the brain to vibrate in the skull and hit against it. The majority of TBIs are mild TBIs, also called concussions.

You might not immediately notice your concussion, but you can develop symptoms from that last a long time. Persistent post-concussive symptoms include the following:

• Memory loss
• Anxiety
• Continuous headaches
• Depression
• Inability to concentrate
• Poor balance
• Poor coordination
• Poor judgment
• Reduced attention span
• Slow reaction time

Let your doctor know if you passed out during your injury or if you are experiencing any persistent post-concussive symptoms, especially if you have been diagnosed with a mild TBI.

Spinal Cord Injuries

Another serious injury that could affect you for the rest of your life is a spinal cord injury. If you received a spinal cord injury while you were skiing, talk to a lawyer about your chances of financial recovery. Symptoms of spinal cord injuries include:

• Changes to fertility or sexual sensitivity
• Difficulty coughing and/or breathing
• Difficulty walking
• Extreme back pain
• Inability to feel heat or cold
• Inability to feel touch
• Inability to control bladder or bowels
• Nerve pain
• Quadriplegia
• Paraplegia
• Spasms

Take your spinal cord injury seriously and follow the treatment and advice of your doctor. Be sure to keep copies of all your medical records, as they will help to support your claims in the legal process.

Talk to Zinda law group’S  LUBBOCK SKI ACCIDENT LAWYERS TODAY

Skiing and snowboarding are supposed to be recreational activities that you can enjoy with your loved ones, but that time of leisure and refreshment can be ruined by an accident that causes an injury. If your family vacation turned into a nightmare because of the negligence of someone else, then you should find out what your legal rights are in the wake of your accidnent. Stand up for your rights and learn about how you should proceed by speaking with a Lubbock ski accident lawyer today at (800) 863-5312.

When you work with Zinda Law Group, we put your interests and desires first. To help you on your road to recovery, our attorneys offer a free consultation and a No Win, No Fee Guarantee. That means that you will not lose any money by speaking with a ski or snowboard accident attorney. If we do not win your case for you, you will not owe us anything. Talk to an injury attorney at Zinda Law Group to get started.

Meetings with attorneys are available by appointment only.