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Explanations German official: Crash during supposed training break
MUNICH, Germany (AP) -- The crash that killed French skier Regine Cavagnoud came during what was supposed to have been a break in practice to prepare the course, a German team official said Thursday. Cavagnoud died Wednesday of severe head injuries suffered when she slammed into German coach Markus Anwander during a practice run on an Austrian glacier. Walter Vogel, chief German coach for Alpine skiing, said no one on the German team knew Cavagnoud was coming down the course. "Quite clearly, a preparation phase had been agreed. I know Markus as a responsible, careful man, who doesn't go somewhere unless there is a reason to. I can't recognize any mistakes by our team," Vogel told the German sports news agency SID. "From the fact available, I can't imagine Markus knew that Cavagnoud was coming," he said. "For us, the whole thing is the result of unfortunate circumstances. There were communication problems. No one in our team knew she was coming. Our people were not informed," Vogel said. Vogel said it was normal that the two teams used different frequencies for walkie-talkie communications. "It's always like that. It's agreed before how the training will be conducted. In this case, it was clearly agreed to prepare the course after every two runs. That's why Markus Anwander was preparing the course. But from the start, you couldn't see the spot where he was," Vogel told SID. Anwander also suffered severe injuries and remains hospitalized. His condition has stabilized, although his life could be at risk if complications arose. Austrian authorities are investigating the accident. Anyone found responsible for Cavagnoud's death could be charged with manslaughter, a crime that carries up to one year in prison.
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