Man Charged with Manslaughter after Collision with 5-Year old British Girl
16th January 2022
Last modified on January 18th, 2022
A French man in his 40’s was arrested shortly after the accident in Flaine and has been has been in custody since Saturday in Bonnevile. There are growing concerns about collisions on the slopes and people out of control. UPDATED
The girl, who has not been officially named, was in a ski class on a blue slope when the accident happened.
The were four other children in the class and they were in single file behind the ski instructor by the side of the slope.
She was in the resort with her English family who live in nearby Geneva, Switzerland.
They have returned to Geneva since the tragedy.
She was treated at the scene and flown to hospital but died before she reached the hospital.
The man involved is said to be deeply shocked.
The 40-year-old man charged is a volunteer firefighter and is believed to have administered first aid to the girl after the accident.
“The skier involved in the death has been indicted for manslaughter,’ said an investigating source to the media.
“He has been placed under judicial control and is specifically accused of a deliberate violation of safety obligations,”
The manslaughter charge is a crime that can lead to five years in prison, and a fine of more than £60,000.
Some reports in the French media claim that he hit her at high speed, but the circumstances are unclear and are the subject of a police investigation.
She was in a class with the ESF but no statement has yet been released.
Reports say the child was in a single file behind the group and was about to make a right turn when “she was very violently hit by the skier arriving at high speed who tried in vain to avoid her.’
A post-mortem took place on Monday 17th January, but the details have not yet been released.
Pressure is mounting for resort authorities to do more to combat the threat from people that are out of control on the slopes.
In Italy is it now compulsory to have third party insurance.
In North America the issue seems to be taken more seriously with resort staff out on the slopes ensuring people are in control, especially at bottlenecks and busy junctions.
Questions are continuing to be raised about whether more should be done in Europe.
Image © PlanetSKI
