A 44-year-old man has been convicted of manslaughter after a 2022 skiing collision at Flaine Resort in France that resulted in the death of a five-year-old who was part of a ski-school lesson. He was given a 12-month suspended term and ordered to pay €165,000 in damages to the family.
“The child was in a queue behind the group and was about to make a right turn when she was very violently hit by a skier going at high speed who tried in vain to avoid her,” according to a statement from the local Bonneville prosecutor’s office in 2022.
It was revealed the man was traveling 60 km/h (37 mph) when they collided and both slid far down the slope afterward. The man, who was a trained volunteer firefighter, immediately administered first before the child was taken via helicopter to Sallanches Hospital and was soon pronounced dead. In court, the defendant admitted his speed was inappropriate considering how crowded the beginner-friendly blue run was, while his lawyer said his client was generally a cautious skier, calling it a “tragic accident.”
The accident occurred the same week as another fatal skiing accident in which actor Gaspard Ulliel died. Both incidents drew significant attention to safety on beginner slopes at resorts. In particular, the “Serpentine” slope where the young girl died has been modified to improve sight lines and signage has been added to remind skiers of stricter speed enforcement. Investigators in this case pointed out that the man likely had difficulty seeing the young girl because a snow bump appeared to cover her.
“There will always be some people who think they are alone on the slopes. When we see people who are a danger to others [we] explain our way of seeing,” Bernard Pascal-Mousselard, chairman of the National Association of Piste Directors and of the Security of Winter Resorts, told Le Dauphiné libéré back in 2022.
