Gwyneth Paltrow’s 2016 ski accident accuser takes the stand – “No one believed how serious my injuries were”

March 28, 2023 - 2:56 PM IST

Marvel actress Gwyneth Paltrow is being sued over a 2016 ski crash – which happened at Deer Valley Resort in Park City, Utah – by a retired optometrist Terry Sanderson for $300,000.

Gwyneth Paltrow’s 2016 ski accident accuser takes the stand – “No one believed how serious my injuries were”

According to Variety, Sanderson took the stand on Monday and told the jury that he heard a “blood-curdling scream” and was then hit from behind by an unidentified skier, causing him to go flying and temporarily black out. According to Sanderson's testimony, he was having a relaxed day on the slopes until the sound of a scream caught his attention.

“I just remember everything was great and then I heard something I’ve never heard at a ski resort and that was a blood-curdling scream,” Sanderson said as the report shares. He remembered thinking that it was “like somebody was out of control and going to hit a tree and was gonna die. And then boom!” he said. “It was like somebody was out of control and going to hit a tree and was going to die. And that’s what I had until I was hit.”

He went on to describe the impact saying, “I got hit in my back so hard and right at my shoulder blades and it felt like it was perfectly centered, and the fists and the poles were right at the bottom of my shoulder blades, serious, serious smack and I’ve never been hit that hard,” Sanderson continued.

As Variety further describes, Sanderson appeared to have difficulty focusing on the questions at times to the point that his attorney had to ask him “How did you get up?” multiple times before she got an answer. When asked how he has changed physically since the accident, Sanderson mentioned that he suffered injuries that have affected his communication, orientation, and personality, which led him to file the suit.

“I realized, after a period of time, that no one believed how serious my injuries were,” Sanderson said when asked by his attorney VanOrman why he filed the suit. He then added, “I knew there were damages. And then there were lots of insults added to that singular incident. Lots of insults along the way, dozens of other times where everything went contrary to my value system.”

Additionally, as the report suggests, Sanderson has also sent an email to his three daughters after the crash with the subject line “I’m famous.” During cross-examination, Sanderson agreed that saying "I'm famous" in an email to his daughters was a crazy thing to say, but he blames Paltrow for his personality changes since the accident.

Meanwhile, Paltrow first took the stand last week to testify, telling the Utah jury that it was Sanderson who crashed into her first. Paltrow is countersuing for $1 and attorneys’ fees. The trial is currently underway.

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