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Aspen man sued for ski crash

Chad Abraham

An Aspen woman who says she was permanently disabled in an accident last winter on Aspen Mountain is suing a local skier for more than $100,000.The lawsuit, filed Jan. 18 in Pitkin County district court, alleges that Robert Balogh of Aspen was skiing above Marilyn Buchanan in the Tortilla Flats area near the Ajax Express lift on Dec. 19, 2003. The terrain in the area is intermediate.”The defendant clipped over [Buchanan’s] skis from behind,” the lawsuit says.The collision involved “great force and violence,” according to court papers. “She went down hard, initially hitting her tailbone and then the back of her head.”The accident left Buchanan with a fractured pelvis, a concussion, a tailbone injury, back and shoulder pain, and “general injuries to her entire body as well as severe pain and permanent injury,” the lawsuit says.The court papers contend that she continues to incur bills related to her hospitalization, prescriptions and therapy. Additionally, she has lost income “due to her inability to pursue her real estate business,” according to the lawsuit.Buchanan has hired attorney Walter Gerash of Denver. Messages left at his office and Balogh’s home were not returned Monday.Gerash is seeking a jury trial.Chad Abraham’s e-mail address is chad@aspentimes.com