Gwyneth Paltrow skiing experience – LIVE: Actress tells court she initially thought skiing accident was ‘sexual assault’

A US court has heard that Gwyneth Paltrow hitting a man from behind on a ski slope and falling on top of him was the “only scenario” that explained his injuries.

Terry Sanderson provided a “cushion” for the Oscar-winning actress during the incident at the Deer Valley resort in Utah in 2016, jurors have been told.

A retired ophthalmologist is suing Ms. Paltrow over the crash, who suffered multiple broken ribs and a severe concussion.

Paltrow denied the allegation and filed a counterclaim against Mr Sanderson, alleging that he caused the collision.

On Thursday, jurors heard testimony from Dr. Richard Bowen, who said Mr Sanderson’s injuries could only have been caused by blows from behind.

“He was hit by someone from the side and from behind, mind you, that person fell on him. People who fall don’t get broken ribs…it takes something else,” he said.

“If you had a choice between Mr. Sanderson hitting Mrs. Paltrow or Paltrow hitting Mr. Sanderson, you would have to choose Mrs. Paltrow hitting Mr. Sanderson from behind and falling on top of him to account for broken ribs.”

“If you were to compare two scenarios… there is only one that would explain the application of sufficient force to break those ribs, and that is Mrs. Paltrow hitting Mr. Sanderson from behind and she falls to the ground.

“At its core it was like a pillow, if you will.”

Actress Gwyneth Paltrow’s day on the slopes in Park City, Utah, was cut short seven years ago when she had to take some time off after bumping into another guy who got off a hill.

She is now participating in a civil trial that began on Tuesday (March 21).

While she was climbing the hill on February 26, 2016, she was hit from behind by another skier. She was slightly injured, for which she says the man immediately apologized. And she adds in her legal file that she is “shaken and disturbed.”

A retired doctor has sued the Hollywood star for $300,000 after a 2016 plane crash in Deer Valley, Utah.

Paltrow says in her filing that Sanderson’s injuries were exaggerated because an examination was conducted with his doctor, which did not reveal anything lacking in his cognitive functions, according to the prosecution.

The movie star’s file notes that medical records show he was diagnosed with a “mild” concussion and spent “extended periods of time” on vacation abroad after the accident.

A general view during Dual Moguls preliminary runs on Day 3 of the Intermountain Healthcare Freestyle International Ski World Cup at Deer Valley Resort on February 4, 2023 in Park City, Utah

The counterclaim also alleges that Mr Sanderson had 15 chronic medical problems and that he told his doctor a year ago that he was blind in his right eye, and that the vision in his left eye was getting worse.

“It did not shock him or cause him to suffer a concussion, traumatic brain injury or broken ribs,” Ms Paltrow’s filing states.

Mr. Sanderson claims that Ms. Paltrow was descending the novice slope of the Bandana Run on Flagstaff Mountain in an “out of control” manner, According to Court TV.

He claims she hit him so hard he got kicked out. In a press conference in 2019, he said that moments before the collision, “He heard this just hysterical screaming like… King Kong in the jungle or something”.

Terry Sanderson during a press conference in 2019

He said at the time that he believed the speed at which Ms. Paltrow was bitten could explain the extent of his injuries. “A small bullet can make a big hole,” he said Salt Lake Tribune.

At that press conference announcing the suit, Mr. Sanderson said he noticed a number of large “slow down” signs as he headed down the Bandana run, so he slowed but stayed with the stream of other skiers coming down the slope.

“It was just instantaneous,” he said in 2019. “I hurt my back. … I felt like it pushed me forward.”

He said he remembered not being able to control himself as he went down.

“Then that’s all I remember up to that point—just outside,” he said.

“I wouldn’t say we’re good friends, we’re friendly,” Paltrow testified.

The jury will return to the courtroom in Park City, Utah, at 9 a.m. EST on Monday morning.

“He hit me and I was so upset,” she told the court.

She said her skating coach asked Sanderson how he was and he replied, “I’m fine.”

She said she was now asking for more than “one token dollar”.

She added, “For me, there is a difference between the $1 I get and the attorney’s fees that get reimbursed.”