plaintiff testifies that he had “never” been “hit so hard”

(CNN) — This Monday the civil trial involving actress Gwyneth Paltrow and a man who accuses her of damages caused in a skiing crash in 2016 resumed in Utah. Thus begins the second week of the process.

Terry Sanderson, the retired optometrist who is suing Paltrow, testified Monday that he was “skiing calmly” and “paying attention” before being hit by Paltrow at the Deer Valley Resort in Park City, Utah.

“I just remember everything was going great and then I heard something I’ve never heard in a ski resort and it was this bloodcurdling scream…and then boom,” he said. “It was like someone was out of control and was going to hit a tree and die. And that’s what I knew until I got hit.”

He went on to describe what the impact was like.

“I was hit in the back very hard and right on my shoulder blades and I felt like I was perfectly centered and the fists and batons were right on the bottom of my shoulder blades, a very, very hard hit, I have never been hit so hard. Sanderson continued. “All I saw was a bunch of snow.”

Furthermore, Sanderson refuted that he was suing Paltrow to exploit her fame and wealth.

“I thought, ‘I’m not one to love celebrities,'” Sanderson said of learning that she was the skier involved in the collision.

Craig Ramon, a previously testified witness, was called back to the stand Monday for recently recovered evidence.

The lawyers indicated this Friday that, after Sanderson’s testimony, the case would be turned over to Paltrow’s lawyers to present their defense.

Television producer Brad Falchuck, Paltrow’s husband, along with their children, Apple Martin and Moses Martin, were scheduled to testify Monday, but delays in the process could cause them to change their plans.

This Monday, after a lunch break, Deer Valley Resort ski instructor Eric Christiansen began his testimony.

Christiansen stated that he saw how the accident unfolded and what happened immediately after the crash, including Sanderson’s condition after the collision. Christiansen said he did not observe that Sanderson was unconscious.

He said he heard Sanderson apologize to Paltrow twice before which he told him that Paltrow “just showed up in front of (him)”, in response to the Christiansens’ questions about whether she was okay.

Christiansen said he did not witness the crash.

The trial so far

Paltrow, who has been present in the Utah courtroom since the trial began last Tuesday, took the stand Friday to testify.

Sanderson, 76, accused Paltrow of crashing into him causing lasting injuries and brain damage while the two were skiing down a beginner’s run on a Utah mountain. Sanderson also claims that Paltrow and his ski instructor went skiing after the incident without seeking medical attention for him.

Paltrow filed a countersuit against Sanderson in 2019, alleging that he was the one who hit her while skiing.

The two have been involved in a legal battle for seven years.

In roughly two hours of testimony Friday, Paltrow repeated her claim that Sanderson skied directly into her back and caused the crash, while being questioned by Sanderson’s attorney, Kristin A. VanOrman.

Paltrow said the collision occurred on the first day of a trip to Deer Valley Resort with her two children, her then-boyfriend Falchuck and his two children.

The actress stated that two skis entered between hers, forcing her legs apart and then she heard a “grunt” and felt a body press against her back before both crashed to the ground.

Paltrow said she did not ask about Sanderson’s condition after the crash, but said he stayed in place on the mountain “long enough for him to say he was okay” and get to his feet.

Sanderson had initially sued Paltrow for $3.1 million, but later amended her suit and is now seeking about $300,000 in damages, according to court documents.

Paltrow, for her part, is asking for US$1 in damages, plus attorneys’ fees.

Several witnesses testified before Paltrow’s testimony, including Sanderson’s daughters Polly Sanderson Grasham and Shae Sanderson Herath, and Sanderson’s friends Mark Herath and Craig Ramon.

The jury also heard testimony from various experts.

— CNN’s Lisa Respers France, Matt Meyer and Elise Hammond contributed to this report.