he sustained injuries from a man who collided with Gwyneth Paltrow on a ski slope could not have been “plausibly” caused by him crashing into her, a US court has heard.
Retired optometrist terry Sanderson showed “typical features” of a traumatic brain injury and “deteriorated abruptly” after the 2016 incident at the Deer Valley Resort in Utah.
The Oscar-nominated actress is being sued by Mr Sanderson for allegedly “pushing” him from behind, leaving him unresponsive and with several broken ribs.
On the second day of the trial, which takes place in Park CityUtah, jurors heard testimony from two medical experts, radiologist Dr. Wendell Gibby, and neurologist Dr. Sam Goldstein.
Dr. Gibby told the court that Mr Sanderson would have “protected himself” if he had collided head-on with Ms Paltrow.
“I think it’s very unlikely that this would have been caused by Terry bumping into Gwyneth Paltrow,” he said.
“Based on the stated testimony of the defendant, from (witness) Craig Ramon, and the pattern of injuries that are present… what I believe happened was that he was hit from the left side and that forced him to the ground.
“The combined weight of the two individuals hitting the ground caused the fracture and head injury.
“I don’t think it would be plausible that if he ran into her he would have broken the ribs on the side of his chest – he would probably have stretched out his arms, he would have protected himself.”
“If he had been the person who encountered her, I don’t think he would have suffered this kind of injury.”
Dr. Gibby added that prior to the incident Mr Sanderson was “a very high functioning, energetic person”.
“But after his accident, he abruptly deteriorated and stopped many of the activities he was doing,” he told the court.
“His personal interactions with his children and grandchildren suffered and he had difficulty multitasking… These are all typical characteristics of someone who has had a traumatic brain injury.
“I think the ability to function at a high level was lost to Terry…many of the things that gave him joy in life seem to have been abruptly diminished by this injury.”
Mr Goldstein said the incident had caused an “acute rapid downturn” in Mr Sanderson’s behavior and functioning, which did not stem from pre-existing medical problems.
“Had it not been for that particular accident, the life he (before) led … would be the life he would still be living,” said Mr Goldstein.
“These past vulnerabilities don’t explain the acute change and now the long-term change in his behavior and functioning – this is an acute and rapid downturn.”
He added that Mr Sanderson was not “faking” his problems or “making a mountain out of a molehill”.
Mrs. Paltrow attended court in person, wearing a cream vest.
During the first day of the trial, jurors heard from Mr Ramon, who had been skiing with Mr Sanderson and was present in the aftermath of the collision.
Mr Ramon said he saw a skier, later identified as Paltrow, “bump” into Mr Sanderson and later run down the hill without saying a word.
He also said that a Deer Valley employee arrived on the scene shortly after, telling him “your buddy just knocked out Gwyneth Paltrow”.
The defense is seeking damages of up to $3,276,000 (£2,688,000), said Lawrence Buhler, representing Paltrow.
Ms Paltrow, who was described by her legal team as a “conservative” skier, is suing Mr Sanderson for one dollar, claiming he was the one who bumped into her.
The process continues.