A Jackson Hole Resort Collision Resulted in a Death That’s Now Being Ruled a Homicide
The Teton County Coroner has ruled the death resulting from a two-skier collision at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (JHMR) a homicide. The incident occurred on April 14 between an unnamed skier in his mid-30s and 71-year-old Peter Wuerslin who was a part-time JHMR ski instructor. Both skiers were taken to St. John’s Urgent Care Clinic in Teton Village, Wyoming for their injuries. Wuerslin was placed on life support. He died on April 17 and the Teton County Sheriff’s Office asked the public for information from witnesses as they investigated.
According to ski patrol reports, the unidentified skier was uphill from Wuerslin and then failed to maneuver away from him in order to avoid their collision. In an email to Jackson Hole-based news outlet Buckrail, Teton County Coroner Brent Blue said the cause of death was “intracranial hemorrhaging” and indicated his homicide ruling “does not mean the TCSO or County Attorney will come to the same conclusion.”
Homicide declarations following severe ski collisions are not completely unheard of but they are rare and attention-grabbing. In March, the California Department of Health Care Access and Information reported that ski-related ER visits rose 50 percent between 2016 and 2022. Earlier this month, The Colorado Sun reported 14.8 million people visited the Centennial State’s slopes in 2022 and 2023 as part of a deep dive into the severity and frequency of on-hill collisions.
In that report, the newspaper highlighted the protocol for both skiers and snowboarders, and resorts, when collisions happen. For example, Vail Resorts has specific protocols for ski patrol when they respond and the resort participates in collecting contact information from visitors involved in accidents as well as witness reports. They also comply with requests from law enforcement investigations without the need for a subpoena but do require a subpoena when lawyers request information “to protect guest privacy.”
“These incidents unfortunately continue to be an occurrence for skiers,” JHMR’s Risk and Safety Director Jon Bishop told Buckrail after Wuerslin’s passing. “It is your duty as an uphill skier to avoid those below you. We ask that everyone ski in a safe and respectful manner.”
The post A Jackson Hole Resort Collision Resulted in a Death That’s Now Being Ruled a Homicide first appeared on The Inertia.
