The days of summer recreation are coming to an end, and soon, New Mexico’s ski resorts will open for the skiing season. While skiing has the reputation of being a recreational activity for leisurely classes, snowboarding has an edgier image, but both sports involve snow, high speeds, and a fair measure of uncertainty. If you are going to expand your snow-covered mountain sports repertoire to include snowboarding, then New Mexico is the best place to do it because of its unmatched beauty and because it is not as overrun with tourists as Colorado. Resorts that offer snowboarding activities are legally responsible for accidents that occur on their snowboarding trails. If you got injured in an accident on a snowboarding trail in New Mexico, contact a Santa Fe slip-and-fall and premises liability lawyer.
Is Snowboarding as Dangerous as Skiing?
Some people choose New Mexico as a retirement destination because it is technically in the Sun Belt, but you can ski in the winter. Meanwhile, it is difficult to form a mental image of an elderly snowboarder. Snowboarding tends to attract a younger crowd; it is like surfing on ski slopes. Injuries for inexperienced snowboarders are more common than injuries for inexperienced skiers, but those injuries tend to be less severe. Snowboarding has a lower rate of fatal accidents than skiing.
In 2021, Jairo Hernandez, an Emergency Medical Technician at Presbyterian Hospital in Taos, suffered fatal injuries in a snowboarding accident on an intermediate trail at the Sipapu resort. It was his first time snowboarding, and he was wearing a helmet. His snowboard collided with a tree. An investigation showed that this was not due to any negligence on the part of the resort. It is the first serious accident the resort has ever witnessed, and Hernandez received prompt medical attention.
Your Rights If You Get Injured in a Snowboarding Accident
If you suffer preventable injuries in a snowboarding accident in New Mexico, you have the right to seek compensation from the legally responsible parties for the financial losses you incurred as a result of the accident, including but not limited to your accident-related medical bills. If the accident occurred while you were visiting New Mexico, the courts of New Mexico have jurisdiction in any lawsuits resulting from the accident. If the accident was due to negligence on the part of the snowboarding resort, such as poorly maintained trails or a faulty chair lift, you can file a premises liability claim. If you were snowboarding without paying admission, though, recreational use statutes may bar you from filing a premises liability claim, even if the place where the accident happened legally counts as private property. If the accident resulted from a defective snowboard, you could file a product liability claim against the snowboard manufacturer.
Contact Slate Stern About Premises Liability Lawsuits
Slate Stern is a personal injury lawyer who represents plaintiffs injured in snowboarding accidents. Contact Slate Stern in Santa Fe, New Mexico, or call (505)814-1517 to discuss your case.
Sources
https://www.koat.com/article/sipapu-ski-snowboarder-death/38378390
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1303417
Photo by Mattias Olsson on Unsplash