The parents of Christina Porter '06, a student who died after a physical education skiing accident at the Dartmouth Skiway in 2004, have filed a wrongful death and negligence lawsuit against the College.
Porter's parents, Brent Porter and Mary Salstrom, of Brooklyn, N.Y., filed the suit in the Concord, N.H., Federal District Court on Feb. 2. They are seeking over $20 million in damages.
Porter died on Jan. 16, 2005 due to complications from head injuries she sustained after crashing into a tree during a physical education class at the Skiway. Following the accident, Porter was in a coma for six months and died several months later.
Information about the lawsuit was reported on Monday by the Associated Press.
The suit alleges that instructors at the Skiway sent Porter, who was not wearing a helmet, down a ski slope unsupervised. Porter's parents argue that such actions would constitute negligence due to their daughter's known inexperience as a skier.
Porter's two instructors, who have not been named in the suit, were not certified as professional ski instructors, according to the filing. The instructors could be named as individual defendants in the lawsuit at a later date.
New Hampshire law protects ski areas from liability for injuries skiers sustain while using their facilities, because of the risk inherent in the sport, according to the Associated Press. However, the Porters' suit argues that Dartmouth assumed responsibility beyond that of a typical ski area because their daughter was taking a physical education class at the time of her accident.
Kenneth McClintock, coordinator of the ski school, declined to comment for this article, but the College released a statement Monday from General Counsel Robert Donin.
"Christina Porter was a wonderful young woman who is sorely missed by the Dartmouth community," Donin said. "While Dartmouth too mourns her loss, the institution believes that loss was the result of a tragic accident, and will so state in response to the filing."
The College now requires that all students wear helmets while taking skiing and snowboarding classes at the Skiway, due in part to concerns raised by Porter's accident. Porter's parents had also called for a helmet requirement at the Skiway following their daughter's death.
While at Dartmouth, Porter sang in the Glee Club and in the Subtleties. She worked in the theater department scene shop and intended to double major in art history and French.
Brent and Mary Porter could not be reached for comment by press time.
