Paltrow ski crash victim can’t enjoy wine tastings: expert

A medical expert at the Gwyneth Paltrow ski crash trial says the man she allegedly hit suffered such a blow that he can no longer do the things he enjoys, including wine tastings and spending time with loved ones. 

Dr. Wendell Gibby, a neuroradiology specialist at the University of California, San Diego, said Dr. Terry Sanderson, 76, showed signs of traumatic brain damage that altered his behavior after Paltrow, 50, allegedly ran into him on a ski slope at the Deer Valley Resort, in Utah, on Feb. 26, 2016. 

“Terry had been a high-functioning active person,” Gibby told the court on Wednesday. “Every day he was doing lots of things. Meeting groups, wine tasting, skiing, volunteering.

“After the accident, he deteriorated abruptly and many of the activities he loved to do, he stopped doing.” 

Sanderson, a retired optometrist, claims his way of life was permanently derailed after Paltrow allegedly slammed into him and fled the scene. Paltrow, however, claims Sanderson was the one who crashed into her. 

She sat quietly in the Park City Court on Wednesday with a button-down cream sweater, brown corduroy pants and her hair tied back as she sipped on green juice. She remained on her phone and appeared to be texting during Gibby’s testimony.   

Gibby said that while Sanderson appeared to pass all his tests checking for neurological damage, the former army doctor failed one exam. Gibby concluded that Sanderson demonstrated abnormalities in his reasoning abilities. 

The neurologist noted that Sanderson has had to call the police to help him find his car in a parking lot while out hiking one day, and that he’s even gotten lost at a Home Depot. 

Gibby added that following the crash, Sanderson’s relationship with his children, grandchildren, and girlfriend all suffered due to his alleged change in cognitive abilities. 

He also rejected the defense’s claim that Sanderson’s health problems were caused by pre-existing conditions and older age. 

“I don’t think we can pin his problems on his pre-existing conditions,” Gibby said.

The expert ultimately concluded that Sanderson would likely never recover from the injuries he suffered on the ski trip that day, which he said were consistent with a head-on collision as the plaintiff also suffered four broken ribs.

Prior to the start of court, her attorney complained that the Oscar-winning actress was being harassed by reporters and photographers outside the courtroom, and that a camera placed directly in front of her on Wednesday had violated court decorum.

Sanderson is seeking $300,000 in damages over Paltrow’s alleged negligence, with the actress filing a countersuit for him to pay her $1 in damages and for the optometrist to pay her legal fees.   

Paltrow’s attorney, Steven Ownes, told jurors that Sanderson became “obsessed” with suing Paltrow and allegedly once told his daughter, “I’m famous,” over the litigation. 

The former army doctor’s lawyers argue that Sanderson suffered physical and mental anguish following the accident, which also impacted the relationship he was pursuing with a woman at the time. 

Sanderson claims the crash left him with broken ribs and a concussion, which led to the brain damage. Sanderson allegedly became angry and distant after the crash, damaging his relationship with his family and causing his 18-month romance with Karlene Davidson, of Utah, to fizzle out. 

In his opening statement on Tuesday, Sanderson’s attorney Lawrence Buhler described the actress as a “distracted skier” who was “reckless” on the day of the crash.  

Owens slammed the plaintiff’s claim as “offensive” and “utter BS,” claiming that Sanderson had a history of neurological problems. The defense attorney urged the jury not to reach a verdict based on sympathy for Sanderson’s condition.