Negligent?

Death in the pellet cellar: lawyer called in

The accident occurred in this hotel.

(Bild: Bernd Hofmeister)

After two deaths caused by carbon monoxide poisoning in a hotel in Lech (Vorarlberg) in 2023, the case may now be reopened. 

At the end of February 2023, a tragic incident occurred in a hotel in the luxury ski resort of Lech am Arlberg: two hotel employees went down to the basement to check the heating system. However, carbon monoxide had built up there due to the pellets and the two did not survive the trip to the cellar. The relatives of the deceased are now making serious allegations of negligent homicide, as reported by ORF ("Schauplatz Gericht").

After the fatal accident, the police finally closed the investigation because it could be ruled out that the accident was caused by someone else. The heating system, it was said at the time, had nothing to do with the deaths of the 23-year-old janitor and the 56-year-old hotel manager. The fatal gases were caused by the storage of the pellets.

The fire department was also called out at the time.

(Bild: Bernd Hofmeister)

However, the hotel manager's brother, Walter Laimer, has now called in a lawyer to clarify disputed issues. For example, whether it was necessary to enter the pellet silo for operational reasons. "If something is not being investigated for whatever reason, then you have to defend yourself. Then you have to make sure that light is shed on the matter," he said. The hotel operator had stated that she had even forbidden access to the silo - however, according to Laimer's lawyer, no further witness statements were obtained on this matter.

Regional court decides
Laimer is now criticizing this. The proceedings were discontinued due to the testimony of the operator. In the meantime, however, employees have submitted affidavits stating that the hotel manager believed that it was technically necessary to enter the silo. The regional court will now decide how to proceed with the case.