In 2014, a prescient ski patroller cautioned NZSki, the operator of New Zealand's Coronet Peak Ski Area, about the impending risks associated with their non padded wooden fence posts. Nevertheless, the company did not heed this warning, failing to conduct a proper and documented risk assessment. This lapse would eventually lead to a tragic incident in 2019.

On the fateful morning of September 21, 2019, Anita Graf, a skier, lost her life in a horrifying collision with one of these unguarded fence posts surrounding a reservoir at the base of Sugar's Run at Coronet Peak. The cause of her death was determined to be blunt force and cardiac trauma, as stated in a report by the New Zealand Herald.

New Zealand Ski Area Owner Fined $600,000 For Fence Post Death of Woman Skierhttps://t.co/kqqELuMMyq pic.twitter.com/U5AXVPfmiu

— SnowBrains (@SnowBrains) October 10, 2023

According to a report in the NZ Herald In August 2023, NZSki was found guilty of health and safety violations for their role in Graf's tragic fatality. The judge overseeing the case ruled that NZSki had exhibited negligence, exposing Graf to the risk of death or severe injury by failing to perform a proper evaluation of the potential dangers associated with the fence. The company, which also owns The Remarkables and Mt Hutt ski areas in New Zealand, argued that a "safety catch net fencing" should have been installed along the entire length of the fence at the base of the slope. This conviction carried a maximum fine of $1.5 million, according to the New Zealand Herald.

Consequently, NZSki was ordered to pay a substantial fine of $600,000 NZD ($362,000 USD). This penalty included $440,000 in fines, emotional harm reparation of $130,000 for the victim's family, and prosecution costs totaling $28,000.

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