It is an outburst of anger from this father of the Var family. After seeing his son mowed down by a skier being launched at full speed, Nicolas Roussel calls for an immediate tightening of the safety rules on the slopes. A personal request to the President of the Republic.
On February 8, 7-year-old Antoine, in Bonneval-sur-Arc, Savoie, was rushed to hospital after a skiing accident. The child was hit by a skier running down the slope. He escaped with a few facial injuries and head trauma. But they weren’t all so “lucky”.
Every year in France there are between 130,000 and 160,000 traumatic accidents related to winter sports and about 20 deaths a year in ski resorts, as reported by our colleagues from FranceInfo† For Nicolas Roussel, Antoine’s father, this alarming observation calls for a strict reinforcement of the security measures on the slopes.
A father’s cry for alarm
After the serious accident of his child, this father decided to write to Emmanuel Macron and Émilie Bonnivard, Member of Parliament of Savoy and ski instructor. Objectively ? “Making things happen.” In his letter, he calls in particular for skiers to be revoked who are too dangerous and unconscious.
Excerpts from Nicolas Roussel’s letter:
“The youngster who hit Antoine stood out several times on the slopes. Observers had already criticized him for his ultra-dangerous behavior. The day before the accident, he almost hit another young girl. If we could have withdrawn his package, my son would not have ended up in neurosurgery in Grenoble. †
“We have to get things moving. There should be stricter restrictions for unconscious skiers. Nowadays you can do whatever you want on the slopes, that’s not normal! […] We cannot go to the mountains and watch our children die or be traumatized. †
The response of the executive branch
Emmanuel Macron replied to Nicolas Roussel, telling him that the Ministry of Sports was currently in charge of the file. For her part, Émilie Bonnivard said: “Withdrawing the package can be a deterrent, but it takes a long time to implement. We are moving forward with another legislative project. And above all, you should ask yourself: who can establish the infringement? This requires work and therefore additional resources. †
As a reminder, since the beginning of February, ski instructors have been calling for mandatory helmets to be worn to prevent tragedies. It remains to be seen whether major measures will be taken in the coming days.