Boy (11) died

Public prosecutor’s office investigates after skiing tragedy

The accident happened in the Wagrain ski area.(Bild: Pressefoto Scharinger/Daniel Scharinger)

The "Krone" reported on the tragic accident of a boy (11) from Lower Austria, who collided with a ski hut while skiing in Wagrain at the beginning of February and died. The Salzburg public prosecutor's office has now opened an investigation. An expert will investigate the case in detail. 

The shock after the accident was audible and tangible in Wagrain: "We can't put it into words", the cable car spokesperson told the "Krone" at the time. It happened on the black slope with the number 15 and the name "Giftabfahrt": A young skier from Lower Austria had lost control. He broke through a barrier net and crashed heavily into the wall of a ski hut. The 11-year-old later succumbed to his injuries at Salzburg University Hospital. 

Expert opinion commissioned
But now the accident has legal consequences: "We have opened an investigation against unknown perpetrators," confirms Ricarda Eder from the Salzburg public prosecutor's office. The police report was received the previous week. After examining the report, further unanswered questions are likely to have arisen. The judiciary therefore wants to take a close look at the circumstances. To this end, an expert opinion has been commissioned in the field of "skiing" and "slope safety": An expert is to clarify questions about the cause of the accident and possible other reasons. One factor could also be the skiing ability of the accident victim.

The mountain railroads had already announced an evaluation of the safety measures to the "Krone" newspaper. It is also a fact that a sign at the start of the slope indicates the danger.