'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
The David-versus-Goliath contours of Gwyneth Paltrow's ski collision trial began to take shape on Wednesday morning when doctors of a man she collided with at a Utah ski resort in 2016 testified about the broken ribs and lasting brain damage he sustained in the crash.
"After his accident, he deteriorated abruptly. And many of the activities that he used to do, he stopped doing," a radiologist testified about Terry Sanderson, the 76-year-old suing Paltrow over the crash.
Dr. Wendell Gibby said brain images suggested it was unlikely that Sanderson crashed into Paltrow. The head trauma was likely caused by a skier crashing into Sanderson, and the lasting effects on Sanderson's overall health were consistent with the severity of the collision, Gibby said
"The rib fractures certainly corroborate that there was enough force to cause a head injury," Gibby said.
Another doctor and two family members are also expected to testify on Wednesday in a trial about a 2016 ski crash between Paltrow and Sanderson, who claims her recklessness left him with lasting injuries and brain damage. After a judge threw out Sanderson's earlier US$3.1 million lawsuit and ruled that he wasn't entitled to punitive damages, Sanderson amended his claims and now alleges damages of "more than US$300,000."
The amount of money sought pales in comparison to the typical legal costs of a multiyear lawsuit and expert witness-heavy trial. More than a dozen are expected to testify throughout the eight-day trial in Park City -- a posh ski town known for welcoming celebrities each year for the Sundance Film Festival.
In a counterclaim to Sanderson's amended lawsuit, Paltrow is seeking US$1 and attorney fees -- a familiar, symbolic action that highlights how reputation, not money, is often what's at stake for celebrities at trial like Paltrow. Taylor Swift similarly countersued a radio host for the same, symbolic amount in 2017.
Though the court is not publishing a witness list for the celebrity trial, attorneys said after Gibby, a neuropsychologist, and Sanderson's daughters Shae Herath and Polly Grasham would likely be called to testify Wednesday.
Sanderson's lawyers on Tuesday left the possibility open that they may call Paltrow to the stand depending on when others expected to testify arrive in Park City. Paltrow will likely testify Friday, and her children Moses and Apple are also expected to testify, her attorney said.
Both parties blame the other for the collision and claim they were crashed into from behind, relying on a little-known Utah law stipulating that whoever is downhill has the right of way when skiing and snowboarding.
Paltrow's attorneys have pled with Judge Kent Holmberg to grant special restrictions throughout the actor-turned-wellness tycoon's trial, including limiting photography both in the courtroom and in the public parking lot outside -- where a rope cordons off Paltrow's entrance and exit paths.
On the opening day of the trial, Paltrow used a blue notebook to shield her face from view when entering and exiting the courtroom. She and Sanderson appeared across the courtroom from each other, looking nonplussed to hear arguments that have become familiar over the seven years since they crashed.
The trial is expected to hinge on how the 10 jurors -- six women and four men -- interpret evidence from medical experts, and whether they see Sanderson's injuries as directly related to the accident or a normal progression of an aging man. The jurors are all residents of wealthy Summit County, where the median home last month sold for US$1.3 million, according to Redfin.
Paltrow's attorneys cautioned the jury on Tuesday not to be biased by feeling pity for Sanderson. They called his story "utter B.S." building off earlier claims from court filings and previous depositions where they accused him of suing to exploit the Oscar-winning star of "Shakespeare in Love's" wealth and celebrity.
Sanderson's attorneys have attempted to paint her as a negligent celebrity with little care for the injuries inflicted upon the 76-year-old military veteran. They called Sanderson's ex-girlfriend and a ski companion who was nearby during the crash to testify on Tuesday. Karlene Davidson said the crash had "changed" Sanderson and contributed to the demise of their romance. Craig Ramon testified that Paltrow hit Sanderson. Despite that, he said afterward that one of her family's ski instructors came up to him and said "Your buddy just took out Gwyneth Paltrow."
The trial underway in Park City has begun with Sanderson's team's witnesses. Paltrow's attorneys have said that her witnesses, including her two children, will speak later.
----
Associated Press writer Anna Furman contributed reporting from Los Angeles.
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs will start in net for the Canucks as Vancouver kicks off a second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday night.
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
The stakes have been set for a bet between Vancouver and Edmonton's mayors on who will win Round 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
A grieving mother is hosting a helmet drive in the hopes of protecting children on Manitoba First Nations from a similar tragedy that killed her daughter.
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
A P.E.I. lighthouse and a New Brunswick river are being honoured in a Canada Post series.
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
Whether passionate about Poirot or hungry for Holmes, Winnipeg mystery obsessives have had a local haunt for over 30 years in which to search out their latest page-turners.
Eighty-two-year-old Susan Neufeldt and 90-year-old Ulrich Richter are no spring chickens, but their love blossomed over the weekend with their wedding at Pine View Manor just outside of Rosthern.
Alberta Ballet's double-bill production of 'Der Wolf' and 'The Rite of Spring' marks not only its final show of the season, but the last production for twin sisters Alexandra and Jennifer Gibson.
A mother goose and her goslings caused a bit of a traffic jam on a busy stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway near Vancouver Saturday.