Connecticut woman sues Keystone Resort, ski patrollers for accident during rescue
A woman who claims she suffered permanent injuries when a rescue toboggan crashed at Keystone Resort two years ago has filed a lawsuit seeking damages from the ski area and two ski patrollers.
An attorney representing Kathryn Stoupas of Connecticut filed the lawsuit in March. The complaint accuses both the resort and the ski patrollers individually of negligence, and asks for a monetary reward to compensate for medical and rehabilitation expenses and loss of income during her recovery.
According to the complaint, Stoupas injured her shoulder in a fall near the bottom of the Geronimo ski run on Feb. 18, 2021. She called Keystone's ski patrol for help.
Two patrollers arrived a half hour later, according to the complaint, and prepared Stoupas for transport down the mountain for further medical evaluation. Stoupas was seated upright in a rescue toboggan without back support, the complaint claims. During their descent, one ski patroller steered the sled from the front (downhill) end as the other ski patroller controlled speed and yaw with a rope attached to the rear of the toboggan.
The complaint states the patrollers lost control of the toboggan at high speed while on the Lower Cat Dancer run. Both Geronimo and Cat Dancer are rated black diamond (expert) ski runs in the North Peak section of the resort, as shown on a map of the Keystone ski area.
The toboggan tipped onto its side, "dragging Plaintiff on her left side and face along the snow until it came to rest," the complaint states.
The complaint claims Stoupas suffered further injury to her arm and shoulder, including a fractured humerus and nerve damage, and permanent scarring to her face.
The complaint also claims the ski patrollers were attempting to "recklessly" gain more speed with a "slingshot" maneuver but failed to execute it. The complaint does not explain what such a maneuver entails when properly executed, nor what apparently caused this attempt's failure.
Keystone is owned by Vail Resorts. Vail Resorts owns and operates ten mountain resorts and three urban ski areas, including Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone in Colorado, according to the company's website.
Contacted in April, a spokesman for the Vail Resorts said the company would not comment on ongoing litigation.
The civil suit was originally filed in Broomfield County by Stoupas's Boulder-based attorney, Robert Hoover. That case was closed and the lawsuit refiled May 2 in Summit County. No court hearings have been scheduled.