- Terry Sanderson testified he hasn't been the same since Gwyneth Paltrow crashed into him skiing.
- He said before the impact, he heard a "blood-curdling scream" and was rear-ended by the actress.
Terry Sanderson, the man in a court-battle with Gwyneth Paltrow over a skiing collision, said he hasn't recovered from the mental anguish caused by the crash on a Deer Valley Resort slope seven years ago.
Sanderson testified Monday that he skied along the edge of the trail to avoid crowds that day and heard a "blood curdling scream" behind him, "like someone was "seriously out of control" before the crash.
When someone rear-ended him moments later, it left him flat on the snow trying to piece together what had happened, he said.
The retired optometrist told a jury in Utah's Third District Court Monday that the incident changed his life. He now gets lost on familiar drives, he said, has trouble communicating, and was forced to quit skiing — a lifelong passion.
He also blamed Paltrow for his breakup with a woman he had been dating.
After eight months, Sanderson testified he "let her go," he said, not wanting her to feel she had to "stick it out" with him "like a crippled vet."
"I said I'm not sure I'm going to get back to normal again," he told the jury.
Sanderson sued Paltrow in 2019, alleging the star crashed into him while skiing a beginner slope at Deer Valley. His lawyer says there's evidence he suffered more than $3 million in damages from the injury.
Paltrow countersued, saying it was Sanderson who ran into her, and is asking for $1 in damages.
A celebrity encounter
Sanderson got emotional when he testified about the day of the collision.
He wasn't supposed to make it to the resort that day but at the last minute he was able to meet up with a group to ski.
When he saw signs telling skiers to slow down, he said he did.
After the scream — and then crash — Sanderson testified he heard a male voice yelling at him and remembers mouthing, "I'm sorry" in an attempt to "placate him."
A ski instructor came over, but Sanderson testified he didn't seem interested in hearing what happened — and left.
Sanderson said he tried to make it down the slope with his skis still attached and was pulled to his feet by a passing skier. Eventually, a woman working with the resort's ski patrol came to his aid and asked him questions to test his cognitive abilities.
It wasn't until after the crash that he learned it had been Paltrow who crashed into him, he said.
"I'm not into celebrity worship," he said. "I didnt care at that point."
Making light of the crash
When asked about an email he sent to his three daughters that night with the subject line "I'm famous," Sanderson said he was "trying to add a little levity to a serious situation, and it back-fired."
"Little did I know here I would be," he added.
He had at least four broken ribs and a concussion after the crash, he said, and he later began to experience involuntary leg movements.
Sanderson said he's "living another life now."
A doctor told him he couldn't ski anymore because another crash would send him to a nursing home.
He tried despite those warnings but couldn't enjoy it, he testified, so he stopped.
"I'm a much more careful person," he said.
Paltrow's side of the story
Sanderson's testimony comes after Paltrow herself took the stand last week.
Paltrow claims it was Sanderson who crashed into her, and her countersuit is for negligence.
Recalling the incident, Paltrow said on the stand Friday that she heard a "strange rustling noise behind me, and two skis slid underneath my skis."
The "Goop" founder described a man's body pressing against her before their skis caught an edge, leading her to fall on top of him. They wound up in a "spooning" position momentarily, she alleges.
"I was confused at first, I froze, and I would say I got very upset a couple seconds later," Paltrow testified. "I didn't know if it was an intentional assault of a sexual nature, that was a quick thought that went through my head — is this a practical joke, is someone playing a practical joke?"