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German charged over ski death | |
(3 days later) | |
A German state premier has been charged with manslaughter over a collision on an Austrian ski slope in January in which a woman died. | |
Dieter Althaus, minister-president of Thuringia state, is accused by Austrian prosecutors of failing to observe regulations while skiing at high speed. | |
He is still recovering from the head injuries he sustained in the collision. | He is still recovering from the head injuries he sustained in the collision. |
Prosecutors said Mr Althaus had told them he had no memory of the accident but took responsibility for the death. | Prosecutors said Mr Althaus had told them he had no memory of the accident but took responsibility for the death. |
In the accident on 1 January, Beata Christandl, a 41-year-old Slovakian mother-of-four, collided with Mr Althaus at a junction of two pistes in the Riesneralm ski resort. She died on the way to hospital after suffering from multiple head injuries. | In the accident on 1 January, Beata Christandl, a 41-year-old Slovakian mother-of-four, collided with Mr Althaus at a junction of two pistes in the Riesneralm ski resort. She died on the way to hospital after suffering from multiple head injuries. |
Beata Christandl's death has sparked debate about safety on the piste | Beata Christandl's death has sparked debate about safety on the piste |
Prosecutors said Mr Althaus had strayed onto the blue, or easy, slope on which Ms Christandl was travelling and skied some distance along it in the wrong direction. | Prosecutors said Mr Althaus had strayed onto the blue, or easy, slope on which Ms Christandl was travelling and skied some distance along it in the wrong direction. |
Walter Ploebst, a spokesman for prosecutors in the town of Leoben, said they had filed the charges of manslaughter by culpable negligence at a court in Irdning on Monday. | Walter Ploebst, a spokesman for prosecutors in the town of Leoben, said they had filed the charges of manslaughter by culpable negligence at a court in Irdning on Monday. |
If found guilty, Mr Althaus could be sentenced to up to two years in jail. | If found guilty, Mr Althaus could be sentenced to up to two years in jail. |
Members of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in Thuringia had earlier said they expected him to seek re-election as governor in August in spite of the charges. | Members of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in Thuringia had earlier said they expected him to seek re-election as governor in August in spite of the charges. |
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