Back in kindergarten

Skidoo accident on the Präbichl: all children fit again

The renowned Alpfox ski school on Präbichl has been teaching children to ski for many years.

(Bild: APA/ERWIN SCHERIAU)

There was a lot of excitement on the Präbichl a week ago when a skidoo and two trailers full of children crashed on the way to the piste. It is now clear that there was no technical fault. The seven injured children are doing well again and are back at kindergarten.

It was a major rescue operation on 17 January on the Präbichl. A skidoo with two trailers transporting 14 kindergarten children from Graz and the district of Graz-Umgebung and their ski instructors from the bus parking lot to the so-called "Kinderland" hit a staircase in the area of the ski arena shortly before 10 am. Just two meters further and the Skidoo would have crashed into the umbrella bar.

Child briefly unconscious
One of the two trailers overturned and several children fell out. Because a five-year-old was briefly unconscious, he was flown to Graz LKH by the ÖAMTC helicopter. The remaining six injured children - all of whom were wearing ski helmets - suffered fractures and cuts. They were taken to the hospitals in Kalwang and Leoben by the ambulance service.

All of them were accompanied to the hospitals by their parents, as the day the accident occurred was the final day of the ski course and the parents were present

Praise for all the emergency services
"The rescue chain worked really well," emphasizes René Dengg from the Hochsteiermark Alpine Police. Why the 31-year-old ski instructor, who was driving the skidoo, lost control is still the subject of an investigation into negligent bodily injury. "We can definitely rule out a technical defect," says Dengg. 

Children questioned in the meantime
The children, who are all back at the kindergarten and reported an adventurous day of skiing, have now been questioned about the incident. "It was mainly about who was sitting where," explains Dengg. The ski instructors are still being questioned. However, the investigation should be completed by the end of February.