Accident on the slope in Białka Tatrzańska. A woman has a broken spine [WIDEO]

The event took place on January 14, 2022 in Białka Tatrzańska. On the lower part of the slope at the Remiaszów station, one of the skiers collided with a woman sliding down on a snowboard. The victim described the situation on Facebook. – A skier, a young boy (approximately 12-13 years old) drove into me - snowboarding - from behind, giving no chance to react and avoid a collision - we read in the post.

According to the victim, she suffered a spinal fracture as a result of the collision. — As a direct consequence of the collision and being pulled down, I broke my spine (an unstable fracture that could lead to paralysis at any moment). Currently, I am after a four-hour spinal stabilization surgery, richer with new experiences (including post-operative pain, which I would not wish on my worst enemies) and six titanium screws stabilizing the broken L1 vertebra - she explains.

The woman points out that she did not receive help from the participant of the incident because he went down the slope with his mother or babysitter. Another skier approached the victim, who helped unfasten the board. “Later on, I was looked after by a friend who helped me down the slope and took me to the hospital,” the woman explains.

The victim also informed that the situation had been reported to the police. - We have secured recordings from cameras monitoring the slopes, as well as photos from lifts with potential participants in the event. The above was provided together with the crime report to the police (causing health damage, failure to provide assistance, fleeing the scene) – we read in the post.

The recording from the cameras, which shows the moment of the accident, was made available on YouTube.

Internet users, however, are divided as to the identification of the perpetrator of the collision. Some claim that the woman rode too wide, others that the skier was obliged to watch the route because he was higher on the slope than the snowboarder.

Instructors divided

We asked the ski instructor for a comment. According to him, based on the recording, it is difficult to determine who is to blame for the collision. - It is very difficult to clearly indicate the guilty person, because although both can be accused of lack of control over speed or incompetent crossing of tracks, both of them did not show caution towards other people on the slope. The snowboarder drives quite slowly and conservatively, but performs a cross-slope manoeuvre, without making sure beforehand that she can do it. The skier is moving down the slope, so he has the right of way, but he should have been going at such a speed that he would be able to stop or change direction, and he didn't, he explains.

The instructor also refers to the ski decalogue written down by the International Ski Federation published on the GOPR website. He points to the second point, according to which each person on the slope "must go down at a speed appropriate to their skills, type and condition of the route and the weather." "In this case, the skier did not comply with this point," he explains.

As the instructor explains, the snowboarder's behavior raises doubts as to compliance with the fifth point, which reads: "a skier who starts the descent on a ski slope or ski field should check, looking up and down, whether he will not cause danger to himself and others. The same applies to him whenever he starts moving after a temporary stop."

According to the FIS, the vast majority of accidents happen as a result of the unpredictable joining of a new entrant. – The introduction of snowboards and low-cut (carving) skis allows their users to make turns and move in the opposite direction to the main movement - down the slope. The one who performs the maneuver "across or against the current" of the traffic flow must behave in such a way that people moving down the slope are not endangered.

Another ski instructor claims that the fault lies with the skier. “The one who goes from above is to blame. He's the one who bumps into a snowboarder. The woman on the board did not suddenly change direction. The skier does not give the impression that he has control over the ride and speed - he explains.

Source: Facebook, GOPR