How often these injuries happen
OSHA recorded 28 severe incidents involving winter sports equipment, with fractures representing 57% of all reported cases. These injuries are frequently severe, often requiring surgery and extensive recovery periods.
Lower leg injuries are the most common outcome, affecting 25% of you if you are involved in these incidents. The physical nature of these accidents often leads to complex fractures and internal injuries that can impact your long-term mobility and career.
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Check My BenefitsHow these injuries happen
Injuries involving winter sports equipment stem from ski, snowboard, and sled incidents. These events typically involve high-velocity collisions, equipment malfunctions, or falls caused by terrain inconsistencies that catch an edge or blade. Whether you are teaching a student, performing a safety sweep, or escorting a guest, the sudden nature of these falls frequently results in severe impact trauma to the head, trunk, or lower extremities.
| Cause | Incidents | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ski, snowboard, and sled incidents | 28 |
Where injuries happen most
The arts and entertainment industry accounts for 82% of these severe incidents, primarily due to the high volume of instructors and ski patrol staff operating in these conditions. Employers in this sector have a duty to maintain safe slopes and provide adequate training.
Real cases like yours
Common patterns in these reports include you being struck by students, ski patrol staff injured by terrain inconsistencies, and you suffering falls while performing routine mountain operations. These incidents highlight the inherent risks of working on snow and ice, where a single caught edge can lead to multiple fractures or head trauma. If any of these scenarios sound like what happened to you, an attorney can help you review the specifics of your incident to determine if employer negligence played a role.
| Year | State | Industry | Incident summary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | CO | Arts & Entertainment | "An employee was going snowboarding down a slope when his snowboard caught and he fell to the ground. The employee sustained a fractured right ankle." | |
| 2025 | NJ | Arts & Entertainment | "A ski instructor was teaching skiing/snowboarding when a student on a snowboard crashed into them. The employee was hospitalized with broken bones that required surgery." | |
| 2025 | NY | Arts & Entertainment | "A ski patrol employee was conducting a "sweep" to ensure all guests were safely off the hill for the night before closing. While approaching the bottom of the mountain, the employee's right ski got caught in an inconsistency in the snow, causing them to fall forward onto their right shoulder. The employee sustained non-displaced fractures in the posterior rib cage, a fractured right scapula, and a fractured right clavicle." | |
| 2025 | ID | Accommodation & Food Services | "A mountain guest services employee was escorting an injured customer to safety on a ski run. The employee was following slowly behind patrollers and a toboggan when he caught an edge and fell on the snow. The employee struck his face and head when he fell. He was hospitalized with a head contusion and a strain." | |
| 2025 | MA | Arts & Entertainment | "On 2/23/2025, a ski instructor was teaching a student when he fell on the snow/ice and struck his head. The employee was hospitalized with a concussion." | |
| 2025 | CO | Arts & Entertainment | "Two employees were raising tower pads on lift towers following a recent snowfall. They were making their way down between towers when the injured employee became unbalanced on a mogul and struck a tree on the edge of the trail with their left shoulder and chest. The employee was hospitalized with a broken clavicle and a pneumothorax." | |
| 2025 | PA | Arts & Entertainment | "An employee was walking in the "runout" area between snow tubing lanes and was adjusting deceleration mats used to slow down the guests. A guest riding a snow tube struck the employee, knocking the employee to the ground. The employee sustained a concussion and a fractured clavicle." | |
| 2025 | PA | Arts & Entertainment | "An employee was skiing in a closed terrain park and went off a jump. Upon landing, the employee struck the ground and sustained internal injuries that required hospitalization and surgery." | |
| 2025 | WV | Arts & Entertainment | "An employee was skiing downhill checking the trails after a competition when their foot caught the edge of a ski and they fell. The employee sustained multiple rib fractures and a pulmonary contusion. " | |
| 2025 | CO | Arts & Entertainment | "An adaptive skiing instructor and a tethered student were skiing down a trail. The student lost control and gained momentum. While the instructor tried to regain control of the student, the two collided. The instructor suffered a fracture to the right tibial plateau." |
Source: OSHA Severe Injury Reports. Narratives are verbatim from filings; identifying details may have been redacted by OSHA.