Industry News
A California snowboarder has filed a lawsuit alleging defective equipment contributed to a catastrophic facial injury he suffered during a crash at Keystone Resort in 2024. According to court records first reported by The Denver Post, Duncan McDonald, of Los Angeles, filed the complaint Tuesday in Colorado’s 17th Judicial District Court through attorneys with The Komyatte Law Firm in Golden.
According to the lawsuit, McDonald was snowboarding at Keystone on February 24, 2024, when he caught an edge and fell face-first into the snow while wearing Oakley goggles and a Salomon helmet. The impact allegedly caused his right eye to dislodge from its socket and resulted in orbital fractures and permanent vision loss, the filing states.
The complaint claims the goggles were “defective and unreasonably dangerous,” arguing their rigid frame and limited padding increased the risk of severe injury during a face-first fall. It also alleges the helmet lacked design elements that could have helped deflect or absorb facial impact forces.
McDonald is suing more than a dozen defendants connected to Oakley and Salomon, along with Epic Mountain Gear, a Westminster retail store owned by Vail Resorts, on claims including product liability, negligence, breach of warranty, and failure to warn. The lawsuit seeks a jury trial and unspecified damages for medical costs, pain and suffering, and emotional distress. As of publication, no responses from the companies named in the suit were included in court filings, and the allegations have not been tested in court.
If you faceplanted hard enough to dislodge an eyeball you would have needed to be snowboarding in one of those extreme soccer inflated bubbles to prevent it.
Safety gear is designed to mitigate injuries not prevent user error. If you want to be safe and save money don’t choose any winter sports. Very sorry for the loss of his eyesight but projection of blame of this mistakes won’t repair that. Without the risk you’d lose the rush. Take your lumps.
U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!
I hope they countersue and bankrupt the guy. Stunts like this make it more expensive for the rest of us. Sorry he got hurt, but that’s part of the sport. I’ve been hurt many times….all of them my fault.
That is horrible and I am truly sorry it happened. But folks don’t have to call Sweet James every time they get hurt.