Winter Sports and Personal Injury Claims

If you have been injured while participating in a winter sport and you want to know if you can claim compensation, speak to a personal injury lawyer from John Mickelson Law Corporation. We can advise whether anyone is to blame for your accident, and if so, what you can do about it.

Winter sports injuries – is anyone at fault?

Now we are in the midst of winter, people across the province will be enjoying their favourite winter sports. Skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling, snowshoeing and ice-skating are all popular activities at this time of year. But of course, they all come with risks.

Because of the inherent dangers, accidents do happen. Often no one is to blame – it is simply part and parcel of winter sports.

On other occasions, you might believe that a particular person or organisation is at fault. Complaints against ski hill operators are particularly frequent. Skiers or snowboarders might injure themselves on dangerous terrain, run into snow plows or fall of a chair lift.

However, when you purchase a lift pass, you are usually agreeing to a watertight liability waiver – even if you do not actually realise it. Liability waivers can complicate your ability to pursue legal action against those you believe to be at fault. Even if you are adamant that errors have been made, the court will dismiss your case if a waiver exists, and the accident falls within its scope.

That being said, there are times when you can pursue a personal injury claim for injuries sustained while participating in winter sports. For a claim to succeed, it is necessary to prove that a person or organisation is to blame, and that their responsibility to protect you from harm is not absolved by a liability waiver.

For instance, it might be that you are injured due to a faulty lift, in which case the lift manufacturer could be accountable. Or you might be harmed by another skier or snowboarder who disregards the rules, perhaps by going at excessive speed or skiing/riding while intoxicated.

Personal injury lawyer Vancouver

There are numerous examples in which a personal injury claim might arise following a winter sport accident. Due to the complexities involved, it can be difficult to understand when you can and cannot obtain compensation for your injuries. The best way to find out is to speak to a personal injury lawyer about your accident.

At John Mickelson Law Corporation we specialise in personal injury claims. Once you have explained the circumstances of your winter sport accident to us, a personal injury lawyer from our team can advise you of your options.

Contact us now

If you have been injured in a winter sporting accident and want to speak to a personal injury lawyer, please contact us now at John Mickelson Law Corporation. Either fill in the free online enquiry form or call us on 604 684 0040.

Go back to Blog