Fatal Ski Accident Shocks German Politics As Inquiry Turns Criminal

A deadly skiing accident in which a woman was killed and a powerful politician narrowly survived has captivated Germany, as a seemingly straightforward human tragedy has evolved into a criminal inquiry with political ramifications in a critical election year.

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[blueskybigstar]

This is a s candle in Germany. I wish our politics could be so mundane. Maybe, someday. we can hope for the same. I find it very ironic that this country not so long ago was run by a de spot and was a place of miser y and the people who were awarded land because of the crimes there are now acting like their oppressors. Yin and yang. Swings of the pendulum.

[luluLA]

H E L L O ? ? ?

"Before the accident"

and the Key Word is.... buzzzzz.......... That's right player #2... A C C I D E N T ! ! !

much about nothing, must have been a slow news day-

[tploomis]

He was apparently skiing out of control. She was not wearing a helmet, which is like driving without a seatbelt. There were mistakes made all around. I've done a few stupid things on a ski slope, fortunately not hurting anybody but myself. It's still a great sport. I can't wait until I'm in my 70's and then 80's to qualify for the incredibly cheap senior discounts on season passes at some resorts. I hope some guy doesn't run me over, but I'll minimize that chance by resting on the sides of runs and getting out of the way when I get off the lift. There are people on the slopes that are reckless, but the rest of us skiers can minimize the chance of accidents by exercising our own prudence. I would just as soon keep the law out of it, as much as possible.

[Vieux Charles]

You all are being uncharacteristically kind to the guy. Apparently, you all didn't make it down to the part that explained his political affiliation.

[kareemachan]

I can testify to the reckless/thoughtless behavior of some skiers on the slopes who can't be bothered to think about others. I've been run down by snowboarders on two different occasions in the last two years. Even though I was lying on the snow trying to sort myself out, I didn't get an apology or inquiry to see if I was okay. They both just took off without a backward glance. (Not trying to diss snowboarders - I've had close calls with skiers as well.)

[gevan]

Helmet vs. non-helmet- - -helmet wins. Sonny Bono vs. tree- - - tree wins.

[ReasonIsMyReligion]

And Michael Kennedy.

Helmets are not typically thought of as a way to defend and protect against jerks, but....

[MajorKong]

I usually stay off ski runs with names like "Compound Fracture" and "Deceleration Trauma".

[ReasonIsMyReligion]

Multiple mistakes made. Helmet obviously, though that might not have saved the victim.

Reckless skiing via going around a barrier deserves front and center feature -- ahead of the helmet issue. This specifically sounds like the grounds for a manslaughter charge.

Last, given the severity of the injuries to the survivor who WAS wearing a helmet, it is not a forgone conclusion that if the victim had been wearing one she would have survived.

Condolences to the surviving family.

~ Long-time skier, and helmet wearer

[Susenanne]

She wasn't wearing a helmet. Helmets are flying off the shelves in Germany and Austria - hopefully some lives will be saved in the wake of this tragedy.

[ReasonIsMyReligion]

I'm thinking of adding a slalom chin guard to mine.
http://www.kinderski.com/acatalog/Cebe_chin_guards.jpg

[Palemoon]

I have no idea what to say or comment on without seeing alot of the evidence charts and photos and such, lol. Sounds like it could have simply been an act of stupidity that led to the accident, or it could have been deliberate. Very hard for me to say based just on the words in the article.

[TAC]

Deliberate?

[Palemoon]

Well, after reading the article in it's entirety, he's under investigation for involuntary manslaughter. So there seems to be some deliberate aspect to this case if it's become a criminal investigation with possible charges like that being bandied about. And I realize that part of it is based on their stating he possibly bypassed a barrier meant to keep his course away from the course she was on. So that's what I mean by deliberate. Did he deliberately ignore the barrier, or was he somehow unable to prevent his bypassing it and ended up on her course and colliding with her? They are both said to have been accomplished skiers, but mistakes happen.

I'm just being open minded and neutral while recognizing there is still an ongoing investigation.

[FZliveson]

"Bureaucratitis" a syndrome common to elected officials and government agents, where any action by any other person is looked upon with gross suspicion and attorneys consulted for the purpose of seeing if legal action can be applied and perpetrators held accountable, regardless of the innocence or a-legality of the matter in question. Europe leads the world in this

[AmbivalentGuy]

Well,
in the US there would already be a multimillion dollar
wrongful death suit filed.

All in all, I don't get it - this is not uncommon.
There are nasty accidents on slopes all the time.

I had a snowboarder run over my tails and I face
planted. Pissed as I was, it was an accident.

Do they investigate the jeagermeister if someone hits a tree?

[kellygrrrl]

why does this not shock me?

[FZliveson]

You forgot to turn on the electricity before you sat in the tub?