Stony Brook University Reviewing Tort Law Discussion

Discussion question:  Read “

Reviewing: Tort Law

” on page 131.  State your opinion to the issue posed in # 2-Whether the state statute establishing that skiers assume the risks inherent in skiing bars Elaine’s suit?

Reviewing: Tort Law

Elaine Sweeney went to Ragged Mountain Ski Resort in New Hampshire with a friend. Elaine went snow tubing down a run designed exclusively for snow tubers. There were no Ragged Mountain employees present in the snow-tube area to instruct Elaine on the proper use of a snow tube. On her fourth run down the trail, Elaine crossed over the center line between snow-tube lanes, collided with another snow tuber, and was injured. Elaine filed a negligence action against Ragged Mountain seeking compensation for the injuries that she sustained. Two years earlier, the New Hampshire state legislature had enacted a statute that prohibited a person who participates in the sport of skiing from suing a ski-area operator for injuries caused by the risks inherent in skiing. Using the information presented in the chapter, answer the following questions.

What defense will Ragged Mountain probably assert?

The central question in this case is whether the state statute establishing that skiers assume the risks inherent in the sport bars Elaine’s suit. What would your decision be on this issue? Why?

Suppose that the court concludes that the statute applies only to skiing and not to snow tubing. Will Elaine’s lawsuit be successful? Explain.

Now suppose that the jury concludes that Elaine was partly at fault for the accident. Under what theory might her damages be reduced in proportion to the degree to which her actions contributed to the accident and her resulting injuries?