Landing on his ribs when he hit the ground is what fractured 4 of the plaintiff's ribs, not the collision. In my opinion, his fractured ribs do not tell us who was at fault. We have no idea of the condition/flexibility of his ribs and we don't know if Paltrow landing on him, or not, would have made a difference. Some people fracture their ribs from a standing fall with no momentum or outside force. I know two people much younger than the plaintiff that fractured ribs and hips from standing falls and they do not have osteoporosis.
As a lifelong skier, I have seen hundreds of collisions and there are countless ways this accident could have occurred. If Sanderson cut Paltrow off diagonally and she plowed into him, it could look like he was in the "downhill" position. If I was a juror, considering his prior medical history of stroke, vision and hearing loss, I couldn't find anyone liable for his "brain injuries".
Doctor testifying
Falls are the leading cause of injuries and deaths among older Americans.
abcnews.go.com