Many of us will be heading north out of Phoenix this weekend, making that familiar I-17 drive for a winter mini-vacation to Flagstaff’s Arizona Snowbowl or the San Francisco Peaks (Humphreys Peak). Maybe you and your family will be heading to Show Low instead for winter fun in the White Mountains. Or perhaps you will be traveling south for snow at Summerhaven on Mount Lemmon in the Santa Catalina Mountains northwest of Tucson. No matter where you decide to spend recreational time with your family this winter, Arizona child injury attorneys will tell you that the accident risk is high. Winter sporting activities have inherent risks and injuries can be severe and life threatening. When another person is negligent and reckless, that’s when many winter recreational injuries happen while tubing, skiing, snowboarding, and snowmobiling.

Winter Recreational Safety Issues Reported By Arizona Child Injury Attorneys

When injuries occur, winter sports areas and public ski areas do have some protection from liability. For example, if your family spends the week at Snowbowl in Flagstaff, you agree to accept responsibility for some level of risk simply by purchasing the ski lift tickets.

However, ski resorts have an obligation to mark any areas that have known hazards, such as rocks and tree stumps not fully buried beneath the snow in years of minimal snowfall. When vacationers rent their equipment, Arizona child injury and safety attorneys explain that faulty bindings, boots, poles, skis, snowboards, or other rented equipment may be the fault of the ski resort. Even newly purchased recreational equipment can be defective, malfunction, and cause injury.

If the injuries were the result of the reckless or negligent acts of some other person, then an action may be pursued to recover financially for the resulting losses and damages. The most common types of accidents on the ski slopes are:

●  Chair lift accidents.

●  Equipment failures.

●  Colliding with others.  

●  Falling over or colliding with rocks, trees, fences, barriers, or other objects.

●  Lack of proper instruction and lessons.

Did you know that a skier or snowboarder higher up is responsible for avoiding those on the slopes below? Did you know that it is the parents’ responsibility to maintain reasonable control of their child skier? The parents are responsible for preventing their children from injuring themselves and from endangering others in the vicinity. These rules of the slopes are in place to reduce accidents and lessen the risk of severe injuries when an accident does occur. If an individual ignores the rules and injures another, then financial recovery may be possible.

Arizona Child Injury Attorneys Represent Clients with Winter Recreational Injuries

Winter recreational accidents resulting in serious injury can occur at any time. Arizona child injury attorneys point to a CDC study that found a pronounced increase in serious spinal cord and traumatic brain injuries as a consequence of snowboard and ski accidents.

Fractured bones, brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, knee injuries, whiplash, internal injuries, and even deaths are caused by negligent, reckless, aggressive, out-of-control snowboarders and high-risk-taking skiers out on the slopes. In some instances, the resort creates too great a risk and may be held liable. Many ski resorts market to more aggressive slope activities by designing and building ski jumps, ramps, and half pipes, encouraging greater risk-taking behavior on the slopes.

Winter recreational accidents are not restricted to the ski slopes, though. Cross country skiers may also be injured by reckless and negligent snowmobilers misusing snow trails while traveling at high rates of speed. The injuries can be catastrophic.

Contact Our Arizona Child Injury and Safety Attorneys Today!

Don’t assume that you have no recourse when a winter vacation ends in injury of a family member! Call the Law Offices of Shane L. Harward at 480.874.2918 for a FREE initial phone consultation and let our Arizona child injury and safety attorney help you today. Find out whether you can be compensated for your medical expenses, lost wages, and related damages when a winter vacation takes a turn for the worse.