Paltrow accuser ‘had brain damage before crash’

A neurologist called by Gwyneth Paltrow’s legal team says there is no evidence of post-traumatic brain injury in scans taken of Terry Sanderson.

Terry Sanderson is suing actor Gwyneth Paltrow over what he claims was a hit-and-run ski accident on a posh Utah slope. Picture: AFP

The man accusing Oscar-winning actor Gwyneth Paltrow of leaving him with a brain injury after a 2016 collision at a ski field had brain damage before the crash, a Utah court heard on Wednesday.

Terry Sanderson, 76, a retired optometrist, has sued Paltrow, saying she skied “out of control” and crashed into him during a run at the exclusive Deer Valley Resort in Park City, leaving him with four broken ribs and a brain injury that he says changed his personality and strained his relationship with his family. He is seeking $US300,000 in damages.

Terry Sanderson is suing Gwyneth Paltrow over what he claims was a hit-and-run ski accident on a posh US slope said March 27, 2023 the accident had changed his “essence’’. Picture: AFP

Paltrow has countersued for a symbolic $1 and lawyer fees, alleging Sanderson hit her from behind.

A neurologist called by attorneys for Paltrow testified that Sanderson showed “no evidence of post-traumatic brain injury” in scans taken before or after the incident.

Expert neuroradiologist Dr Carl Black said that after reviewing Mr Sanderson’s 2009 MRI, he concluded that his brain “anomalies” — including microvascular disease and hydrocephalus — were present before the 2016 ski crash.

“Those findings predate the accident and go back to 2009,” he said.

Gwyneth Paltrow's attorney James Egan displays a poster showing a brain scan during her civil trial over a collision with retired optometrist Terry Sanderson. Picture: Getty

Another witness, neurologist Dr Robert Hoesch, also testified that Sanderson’s complaints about his cognitive decline don’t stem from the crash and suggested Sanderson may have “dementia.”

“The ski injury caused a mild concussion and his symptoms are more likely to be due to pre-existing conditions or new conditions,” Hoesch said.

“If he had a concussion, it was very mild,” he said, adding that the depression and anxiety Sanderson has described could exist as a result of natural, age-relate brain deterioration. He said that the white matter shown in Sanderson’s brain scans, from before the crash, showed early signs of dementia.

“The cure for this is the end of this lawsuit,” Hoesch told Paltrow‘s lawyer. “Suing somebody, going through a trial, a trial that has national recognition, can bring on a lot of anxiety,” he said.

Actor Gwyneth Paltrow enters the courtroom for her trial on March 24, 2023, in Park City, Utah. Picture: Getty

The court also heard experts from depositions given by Paltrow’s children, Moses, 16, and Apple Marin, 18, which were read in court by her legal team.

Neither children witnessed the crash, but learned of it when their mother was 10 minutes late for lunch and had explained that another skier ran into her.

Gwyneth Paltrow with children Apple and Moses.

“I did hear some commotion, but I was further down, so I decided to continue to go down to the lodge,” Apple Martin said.

“She came in and she looked a bit shocked. She said this a-hole ran into me, right into my back.”

Paltrow was “clearly visibly upset” and “shaken up,” according to her eldest daughter.

While on the stand, Paltrow claimed she “lost half a day of skiing” because of the incident, which Apple corroborated. “She decided after that she was not going to ski for the rest of the day, which she never does. She always stays on.”