Stories in this list received the most page views on SummitDaily.com from March 16-22.  

1. Warnings issued for Colorado mountains as storm with potential to drop double-digit snow totals nears

Between 6-14 inches of snow could accumulate between midnight Friday and midnight Saturday as a storm system nears Colorado’s mountains. 

Travel could be “very difficult” due to the mix of heavy snowfall and winds associated with the system, according to a winter weather advisory issued by the National Weather Service. 

Winter weather advisories are in effect in portions of Summit, Grand, Eagle, Routt, Pitkin, Garfield, Park, Clear Creek and Lake counties, though snow totals vary by elevation and region.

— Summit Daily News staff

2. Judge rules health provider owes $4.2M to patient permanently injured during treatment at St. Anthony Summit Hospital in 2019

A Summit County judge has ruled that the Catholic Health Initiatives Colorado owes about $4.2 million to a patient who suffered permanent injuries after being treated by an anesthesiologist at St. Anthony Summit Hospital in 2019, according to court documents.

The civil case filed in Summit County court in 2021 concluded late last year following a two-part jury trial, documents state. Judge Karen Romeo ruled in an order issued after the jury trial that the jury’s award could exceed the $1 million cap on tort damages outlined in the Health Care Availability Act.

The Colorado legislature passed the Health Care Availability Act to “contain the significantly increasing costs of malpractice insurance for medical care institutions and licensed medical care professionals,” Romeo wrote. But the law contains an exception allowing economic damages in excess of $1 million when a court finds that amount would be “unfair,” according to the judge’s order.

“Evidence presented at trial showed that Plaintiff suffered a devastating nerve injury that significantly reduces her quality of life,” Romeo wrote in the order. “Plaintiff’s nerve injury will never heal; it causes her constant pain, prevents her from sleeping, limits her mobility, and impacts her ability to work.”

— Ryan Spencer

3. Lawsuit claims Breckenridge, Vail Resorts were negligent in death of expert skier who fell from lift

The wife of a skier who died after falling from a chairlift at Breckenridge Ski Resort is suing the resort and Vail Resorts over her husband’s death, according to documents filed in Summit County court last week.

John Perucco, 60, of Elgin, Illinois died March 17, 2023, after falling from the Zendo Chair at Breckenridge Ski Resort. The complaint filed in the lawsuit Friday, March 14, states that Perucco was an expert skier who volunteered as a ski patroller for more than 18 years.

The day of his death, Perucco used his Epic Pass to ski with a friend when he loaded the Zendo Chair just before 9:20 a.m., the lawsuit states.

“Before making it to the first pole, Mr. Perucco slid off the chair due to unsafe snow and ice accumulation on the seat,” and fell about 25 feet onto hard-pack snow, suffering critical injuries, according to the lawsuit. He died while being transported to the hospital.

— Ryan Spencer

4. Warning issued for Colorado mountains as multiple storms are expected to hit I-70 corridor during spring break week

The Colorado Rocky Mountains are due for another round of snow as the spring break season hits full swing.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for Summit County and much of the mountain region starting Tuesday, March 18, at 6 a.m. and running through Wednesday, March 19, at 6 a.m. Travel on the Interstate 70 mountain corridor will be impacted.

Between 4-10 inches of snow are expected, along with winds gusting as high as 60 mph, according to the winter weather advisory. Rabbit Ears Pass, Rocky Mountain National Park, parts of Grand and Clear Creek counties above 9,000 feet, and most of Eagle and Pitkin counties are also under a winter weather advisory.

“Travel could be very difficult,” the advisory states. “The hazardous conditions will impact the Tuesday morning and evening commutes.” 

— Ryan Spencer

5. ‘This is it’: Breckenridge officials urge caution while planning what could be its last affordable housing neighborhood

Breckenridge is looking to start construction this summer for a neighborhood slated to displace free skier parking in town as clearer details regarding financing emerge. 

Up until a March 11 Breckenridge Town Council meeting, the town’s “Runway Neighborhood” project that will feature a mix of housing types didn’t have a tentative cost estimate that town staff members felt confident making public. They said determining the phases of construction, the types of units and the number of units were factors that would need to be solidified before throwing out a potential cost for the project. 

After a handful of meetings hashing out the number of units, officials landed on around 148 units including 45 townhomes, 42 duplexes and 61 single-family homes, with the possibility of accessory dwelling units on some of the single-family homes. Town housing staff members gave officials two financing options based on these numbers: a $46 million town subsidy over five years or a $50 million subsidy over six years. 

Most council members leaned toward staff’s recommendation of choosing the $50 million subsidy route, but they wanted more vetting and analysis from the town’s finance department. They expressed wanting to see a thorough, conservative approach amid uncertainty with available federal and state grant funding. 

— Kit Geary