Former doctor gives teary testimony on Day 5 of the Gwyneth Paltrow ski-collision trial

Inside the Park City, Utah, courtroom, Gwyneth Paltrow shook her head as Terry Sanderson gave his testimony on the fifth day of a civil trial over allegations that she recklessly crashed into the retired optometrist in a 2016 skiing accident at Deer Valley Resort. Sanderson, asked about his reaction to finding out he’d collided with a celebrity, said, “I’m not into celebrity worship, so I didn’t care at that point who it was.” His lawyer, Kristin Vanorman, then mentioned that Sanderson had sent an email to his three daughters after the incident with the subject line “I’m famous.” When asked why he said that, he said his brain was “scrambled” and that he was “trying to add levity to a serious situation.” During cross-examination, Paltrow’s attorney Stephen Owens confronted Sanderson and displayed a transcription of Sanderson’s deposition in which he admitted he thought it was cool that he had a collision with a celebrity. Sanderson said he suffered four broken ribs, a concussion and right leg “anomalies.” He alleged he could no longer ski, he often “can’t find the words,” and he frequently gets lost. “I knew she didn’t buy into this, she didn’t buy into me not being the same person.” He said he didn’t want her to feel as though she was sticking it out with a “crippled vet.” Tarrisa “Carlene” Davidson took the stand last week and told the jury that after the collision it looked as if “a truck had hit” Sanderson and that he wasn’t the same person after the accident. When asked why he pursued the lawsuit against Paltrow, Sanderson said, “No one believed how serious my injuries were,” and, “My daddy would say, if you got the truth, you bring the truth, don’t let anyone back you down.. I’m here to prove that truth.” Sanderson initially filed the $3.1-million lawsuit, which now seeks about $300,000 in damages, in 2019.