Six-year-old girl sued for causing ski accident in Austria
A woman is suing a six-year-old girl following an accident at an Austrian ski resort in which she says she received serious injuries.
Both parties were skiing in Bregenzerwald, near the border between Germany and Austria, when the incident occurred.
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The child was part of a ski group lesson, and allegedly turned sharply in front of the woman, causing her to fall and suffer serious injuries.
She has claimed she can longer ski as a result of the accident.
It is thought the woman had previously tried to sue the adult who was supervising the child, but the courts dismissed the case.
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Under Austrian law, children under the age of 14 cannot normally be held responsible in a civil court case.
But the law does allow for an exception where a child is capable of understanding the consequences of his or her actions, or discerning a danger, therefore preventing a wrongdoing, reports thelocal.at.
Officials at the Feldkirch Provincial Court in Vorarlberg will have to determine if this was the case.
According to the Daily Telegraph, at an initial hearing this week, a court expert testified that neither the woman nor the child were paying proper attention before the accident, and that they were both to blame.
The case was postponed for three weeks to allow further evidence to be collected.
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