On March 1, 2023, Wesley Whalen, an experienced snowboarder, died after becoming buried in loose snow at Heavenly Mountain Resort following a heavy snowstorm. His widow, Chanel Whalen, is pursuing legal action against the resort for negligence, claiming that lack of ski patrol and insufficient warnings about dangerous conditions led to her husband's death. The lawsuit highlights that recent controlled avalanches created deceptive snow conditions, ultimately leading to Whalen's tragedy. It underscores that while snowboarding is risky, unexpected and hazardous snow conditions should have been communicated to prevent accidents.
Because defendants had insufficient ski patrol coverage, rescue efforts were nonexistent, insufficient, inadequate, and poor. Wesley was buried alive. By the time he was found, Wesley was dead.
The complaint acknowledges that snowboarding comes with an inherent risk but adds that being swallowed by snow as if sinking in quicksand is not intrinsic in snowboarding.
Wes was a leader in the deaf community and his wife, Chanel, was his entire world. His death is an immeasurable loss.
If adequate warnings regarding the dangerous conditions had been provided that day, Whalen would have taken precautions, such as avoiding the trees.
Collection
[
|
...
]