Kanawha couple sues Winterplace Ski Resort for injuries

CHARLESTON -- A Kanawha County couple is suing Winterplace Ski Resort for injuries sustained on the snow tubing course.

Caleb Wynn, a minor, and Yunna Wynn, the mother of Caleb Wynn, were also named as defendants in the suit.

On Dec. 31, 2008, Sheila Mikeal and Brett Mikeal and their two minor children were snow tubing at Winterplace, according to a complaint filed Dec. 30 in Kanawha Circuit Court.

Sheila Mikeal claims she descended down the mountainside in one of the lanes of the snow tubing course, but was unable to generate enough speed to make it through the valley portion of the course, which caused her to drift back into the alley, unable to stop, control or regulate the speed of her snow tube.

At some point, Caleb Wynn began his descent down the mountain in the same tubing lane as Sheila Mikeal and hit her head-to-head in the valley portion of the course, according to the suit.

The Mikeals claims the collision caused Sheila Mikeal to be knocked unconscious and taken to the hospital, where she was placed in ICU.

Sheila Mikeal suffered a closed head injury, memory loss, and multiple facial fractures, which have left her with permanent paralysis, according to the suit.

Winterplace failed to maintain its snow tubing course in a safe condition, according to the suit.

The Mikeals are seeking compensatory and punitive damages. They are being represented by Richard E. Holtzapfel.

The case has been assigned to Circuit Judge Carrie Webster.

Kanawha Circuit Court case number: 10-C-2333