An allegedly “drunk” skier crashed through a gondola window and fell roughly 130 feet to his death in the French Alps on Saturday afternoon, according to French news outlet Connexion France.
The 29-year-old and another man, 23, had been filming themselves on the mountain at the Les Deux Alpes ski resort Saturday, Connexion France reported Tuesday, citing Grenoble public prosecutor Eric Vaillant. The older man, who was reportedly over six feet tall and weighed roughly 220 pounds, crashed into the plexiglass exterior of the gondola as the pair were coming down from the mountain, shattering the window before falling and impaling himself on a beacon, according to the outlet.
Vaillant alleged both men were “drunk” when the incident occurred.
“It’s terrible. It’s the first time an accident like this has happened at the station,” said the director of a firm that manages ski lifts at Les Deux Alpes
https://t.co/58pIFyupS2— The Connexion (@ConnexionFrance) April 3, 2023
Emergency services reportedly pronounced the older man dead on the scene. (RELATED: New Hampshire Skiing Accident Leaves Boston Teenager Dead)
“It’s terrible. It’s the first time an accident like this has happened in the station,” SATA director Fabrice Boutet said, according to Connexion France. SATA reportedly manages the resort’s ski lifts.
“That shouldn’t happen in normal use,” he added, speaking about the skier’s alleged accident and death. “Everything was solid, the door did not break. And even the Plexiglas [of the door] stayed in the frames. It was in the centre that it broke. All the safety procedures of the cabin worked.”
An investigation into the incident is ongoing, and will include toxicology reports and an analysis of the cable car’s safety, according to Connexion France.