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Thank God Jack wasn’t with me.
That was the first thought Las Vegas police officer Ion Iliescu had after he regained consciousness following a snow tubing accident at Lee Canyon.
Ion, his wife, and his two-year-old son Jack were visiting the mountain resort about an hour northwest of Las Vegas in March 2017. It was their first time at Lee Canyon, and even though temperatures were above freezing and warming quickly with a brisk wind blowing snow, they decided to go snow tubing.
It was a decision that Ion and his family would come to regret.
“Jack went down first in his little green tube, and I followed in a larger red tube,” Ion explained. “He did just fine, but when my tube got to the bottom it hit some exposed rubber mats and I tumbled over and blacked out a little bit. I hit my head, my knee, and rolled on my wrist, which immediately began to swell.”
“Man, I totally should have fixed this, I knew it was going to be a problem.”
Ion sat at the bottom of the hill for 10 minutes waiting for medical help. He noticed that there was a rubber mat clearly protruding out of the snow that caused his rollover. He also overhead an employee say, “Man, I totally should have fixed this, I knew it was going to be a problem.”
Apparently the mats that were there to stop the tubes are supposed to be kept covered with snow and ice. As he limped off to the medical trailer, Ion saw other employees working frantically to cover the mats with the necessary snow and ice.
After having his wrist splinted, Ion went to the main office and asked to speak to the manager. “I told them this accident was their fault and asked for a refund, but I was told it was impossible because we used a Groupon. The manager wasn’t in the office, so they just gave me the general phone number and email address and that was that.”
“I told him that I got hurt through no fault of my own. All he did was point to the waiver that was printed on the back of my ticket.”
Being dissatisfied with this response, Ion sought out the manager and found him on the tubing slope. “I told him that I got hurt through no fault of my own. All he did was point to the waiver that was printed on the back of my ticket,” said Ion. “I asked him, ‘So this is how you want to handle this?’. I tried twice to settle without having to sue, but they wouldn’t work with me.”
On the way home from Lee Canyon, Ion called GGRM founding partner Gabriel Martinez, who had represented Ion in a prior workers’ comp claim. Even though the accident was an off-duty personal injury claim, Ion knew GGRM could help.
After arriving back in Las Vegas, Ion visited the ER and was found to have a fractured left wrist. He was fitted with a cast and had to take three weeks off work to recover.
Ion, a 15-year veteran with the LVMPD, was supposed to start motorcycle school in seven weeks and knew that if he went on light duty, his transfer would be rescinded. The injury to his left wrist made it painful and difficult to operate a motorcycle clutch, further impairing his desire to become a motorcycle officer.
In addition, Ion experienced numbness in his fingers and at some point will have to have carpal tunnel surgery to address that issue.
Ion’s case against Lee Canyon was settled prior to litigation and although he is happy with his settlement, he said, “If I could choose the money or the pain and anguish, I would give the money back. But sometimes it’s more important to just move on with your life.”
Contact GGRM. We Can Help.
If you’ve been injured in an accident and have questions, consult with the experienced injury attorneys at GGRM. We have over 50 years of experience helping the injured get back to their lives. To set up your free consultation, contact us or call us at 702-384-1616 today.