A Romanian settled abroad for over 20 years lost his life in a skiing accident in the resort of Val Thorens, France. The instructor accompanying him was detained, after a first drug test came out positive, the authorities announced.
The victim, Laurentiu Vlad, also had American citizenship, and his family had settled in the United States of America. His parents lived in the village of Covaci, Sinandrei commune, Timiș county. After his father’s death, his mother moved to America.
The 45-year-old Romanian was accompanied by an independent ski instructor. when he fell and hit a rock. Another skier arrived at the scene in a few minutes and gave him first aid, and the defibrillator was used in a short time, writes France3.
A doctor from the resort and the Choucas 74 medical helicopter from Haute-Savoie were also sent as reinforcements. Despite the efforts of all emergency services, the Romanian was declared dead.
The man was skiing off-piste in Val Thorens, Savoie, the cited publication points out.
Benjamin Blanc, director of the Val Thorens Ski Patrol, stressed the danger of skiing off the marked slopes and advised tourists to wait for the next snowfall and stay on the official trails.
Laurentiu Vlad’s death is the third fatal off-piste incident recorded in Savoia this season.
The instructor accompanying him was detained, after a first drug test came out positive, the authorities announced.
According to France3, the detention of the suspect was extended by the prosecutor’s office. The investigation was opened for “involuntary manslaughter by manifestly deliberate breach of a duty of safety and precaution” and for “consumption of narcotics”.
The exact circumstances of the accident are still under investigation.
