The snowboarder who plowed into an Aspen skier and fled, leaving her crumpled in the snow before months of physical therapy, has a social media presence and distinctive gear, according to a lawsuit. It was used to identify her.
Anne Cassidy, a mother of four and an “expert skier” who knows Aspen Mountain, was chatting in public on the skis with a friend next to the drop-off area of the Gents Ridge lift on February 24. said. Unbeknownst to the two, a snowboarder had disembarked from a nearby gondola and was speeding towards them.
Without warning, the snowboarder, who Fox News Digital is not naming because no criminal charges have been filed, “slammed into Mr. Cassidy, striking him from behind,” the complaint says.
“While in a state of shock, Cassidy felt a sudden, severe pain in his leg as his knee twisted,” according to the lawsuit filed this month in Pitkin County District Court. “Cassidy’s knee collapsed like a lawn chair.”
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A well-meaning person took this photo on February 24th after Ann Cassidy was allegedly hit by the snowboarder. Another skier pursued the snowboarder when he didn’t stop, and the photo was crucial in identifying the mystery rider who got away. (Courtesy of Michael Fox)
According to the lawsuit, the snowboarder “determined to escape upon seeing Ms. Cassidy writhing in pain on the ground, regained his balance on his board and quickly took off.”
The snowboarder allegedly abandoned the scene of the accident and ran approximately 40 yards down the hill to a group of approximately five other snowboarders.
Cassidy’s friend gave chase on skis.
“[Cassidy’s friend] Shouted out [the snowboarder] He said he needed to wait for ski patrol and said something to the effect of, ‘Hey, stop it!!!’ I hit somebody!'” the suit says.”[The snowboarder] Admitted [the woman] He said something to the effect of, “What do you expect?” and said he couldn’t control the turns on his snowboard. he didn’t stop. I was riding a snowboard. ”
As the woman returned to her injured friend, a skilled Samaritan skier chased the snowboarder and asked, “You hurt someone. Don’t you want to make sure she’s okay?” The Good Samaritan is quoted in the lawsuit as saying the snowboarder had a “foreign accent.”
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Aspen Mountain staff reviewed lift footage from the time of the accident and found that this and other footage showed riders wearing the same equipment. The rider’s RFID ticket identified him and he is named as a defendant in Cassidy’s lawsuit. (Courtesy of Michael Fox)
The snowboarder who hit and ran the man allegedly told him to “be careful.” [his] “I’m going to hurt my business,” he said. [him] If only he kept chasing him. ”
However, the skier took a photo of the snowboarder with his cell phone and reported it to Aspen Mountain, which provided a key clue in identifying the unknown snowboarder.
Cassidy was taken to Aspen Valley Hospital where, according to the lawsuit, he suffered “a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and medial cruciate ligament (MCL) in his right knee, a medial root injury in his right knee, a torn meniscus in his right knee, a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee, injuries to his shoulder and injuries to his right hand.”
According to the lawsuit, Cassidy required crutches for eight weeks, was unable to drive for nine weeks and is currently undergoing “intensive” physical therapy.
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Private investigators were able to easily track the snowboarder’s social media accounts, which showed him wearing the same gear in an article taken in Aspen at the time of the accident, according to the complaint. . (Courtesy of Michael Fox)
The woman, who is an “avid athlete” who typically runs half marathons, is unable to participate in sports, regularly experiences pain in her knees when moving or straining, and is unable to “take care of her family as usual.” I couldn’t do it,” he claims. I can do it. ”
The patient has difficulty performing daily activities such as dressing and bathing, has limited range of motion, and is experiencing symptoms similar to PTSD.
“This lawsuit is about skier safety,” Cassidy’s attorney, Michael Fox, told Fox News Digital. “Skier hit-and-runs happen all across Colorado, including Aspen, and you need to know that you can’t run into someone with your skis, cause obvious injuries, and then ski away. That’s common sense and that’s the law.”
French Olympic skier Aurélie Santon rides the Aspen Mountain chairlift ahead of the 2006 Olympics. (Don Emmert/AFP via Getty Images)
Cassidy’s lawsuit, originally filed on March 20, referred to the escaped snowboarder as “John Doe.” However, the amended complaint named the man and detailed efforts by climbing officials and private investigators to track him down.
When Aspen Mountain staff tried to help the woman but were unable to track down the snowboarder, they turned to footage from the ski lift, according to the complaint. They found a snowboarder wearing the same equipment as the man in the Good Samaritan photo: black ski pants. black ski jacket. White, gray, or black liner or neck gaiter. Black Burton snowboard with neon bottom and signature white Von Zipper goggles with red lenses.
The rider can be seen wearing the same Von Zipper goggles as the snowboarder involved in the hit-and-run accident. (Courtesy of Michael Fox)
The snowboarder had gotten onto the lift about five minutes before Cassidy was hit around 12:05 p.m. Every rider on the mountain had an RFID code on their ticket to ride the lift, and the snowboarders’ passes identified them as the defendants currently named in the lawsuit.
Cassidy’s lawyer hired a private investigator to track the man to Astoria, Queens, and make phone calls. The complaint says the man who answered had a “foreign accent,” which matches the Good Samaritan’s recollection.
“I was told this person was an investigator hired by Ms. Cassidy regarding the skiing accident in Aspen. [the hit-and-run snowboarder]but friends [the rider]”When asked the individual’s name, he responded, ‘It doesn’t matter who I am,'” the lawsuit states.
The photo still captures the hit-and-run snowboarder from another security camera on Aspen Mountain. (Courtesy of Michael Fox)
According to the lawsuit, a prior internet search revealed the snowboarder’s public Instagram account at the time.
The snowboarder posted a “story” on his account wearing the exact same gear before and after the accident.
While skiing accidents are common, Vermont personal injury attorney Roger Cone, of snow sports firm Cone Raft, said hit-and-run incidents are not. Typically, most skiers and snowboarders are injured in single-vehicle accidents, falling or hitting an obstacle, he said.
While Cassidy was talking to her friend, the snowboarder was exiting a gondola further up the mountain when, without warning, he plowed into her and sped off, according to the lawsuit. (MyLoupe/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
“You don’t see a lot of cases like this. Usually someone stops it,” Cohn said Wednesday. [some] In some cases, you may not realize how badly someone is hurt.
“People need to ski in a controlled way, and we all know that’s how it should be.” [But] “Some people don’t pay as much attention as they should,” he said, noting that young skiers are often less careful on the slopes. “If you hit someone, you should stop. People don’t realize that homeowners insurance gives you some protection.”
Snowboarder photographed at Aspen Mountain (Kevin Moloney/Liaison)
“Thank you to this lawyer who devised a way to use cameras to locate this man.”
Cohn said he doesn’t anticipate any criminal charges being filed in the skiing accident and that it will be up to the district attorney to determine whether a crime was committed.
Jim Sharratt, a Denver-based personal injury attorney who handles accidents on the slopes, told The Colorado Sun that his office has seen a “significant increase in hit-and-run accidents.”
“I think it’s really disturbing that the Ski County Sheriff’s Department doesn’t have the resources or interest to pursue those responsible for these hit-and-runs,” he told the outlet.
According to the media, one of Sharratt’s clients, who suffered a broken jaw and wrist, was told by the Summit County sheriff that “the police have never caught a hit-and-run driver.”
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Cassidy’s lawsuit accuses the Queens man of negligence for failing to fulfill his responsibility to monitor downhill skiers after the accident and share his information with Cassidy and the Aspen Ski Patrol. “I couldn’t stop because I was on the board,” the man said, and he admitted he was snowboarding outside of his abilities, according to the complaint.
The Aspen woman is suing for medical expenses and “plans to amend her complaint to add punitive damages” for her pain and suffering.
Fox News Digital was unable to reach the defendant at his phone number or on social media. Aspen Ski Company could not immediately be reached for comment on the lawsuit.
