Thefamilies of those who diedin the horrific avalanche near Lake Tahoe could sue theirtour guide companyfor as much as $50 million, an attorney has claimed.
But thegrieving relativesare unlikely to get near that much depending onBlackbird Mountain Guide’sinsurance policy, said lawyer Jeffrey Kaloustian, who handles ski-related cases in California.
Nine backcountry skiers were killedin the massive snow slide last Tuesday, marking the Golden State’s worst avalanche tragedy since official records began.
Kaloustian, who is based out of Grass Valley in the Sierra Nevada foothills, said Blackbird could be on the hook for multiple millions of dollars if the families file civil suits against them.
He suggested there could be filings for around $5 million per person who died, depending on their personal factors.
He told the California Post: “It could be up to $50 million, but the insurance company wont pay a nickel above what they’re obligated to pay and that’s a big question over the coverage. If it was not an issue, then it could be somewhere in that $50 million figure.”
The attorney said the number was up to the families and their lawyers to figure out, but suggested it would likely be high due to their successful jobs.
He said: “You have nine people killed and some of these people were high earners. They had huge incomes, those factors would go into a damage calculations.
“You would look at life expectancy for each of them, calculate their income, and that would be the math.
“Regardless of how much insurance there is, the value of the claims are going to way outstrip what the insurance policy is, even if they have $5 million of insurance, that’s going to be totally inadequate.
Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos
