A British teenager was killed on an Italian ski slope after gaining too much speed on a descent and crashing into a tree, according to an instructor.
The 13-year-old lost control after hitting a dip before “violently crashing” into a tree that marked the outskirts of the intermediate red Falzarego slope in the Dolomites, near Cortina d’Ampezzo on Saturday morning.
His parents were thought to be at the scene of the crash and could only watch on as rescuers tried to revive the boy for more than 30 minutes.
But despite the teenager wearing a helmet, he was killed instantly as he had sustained a traumatic chest injury, the Italian paper Corriere del Veneto reported.
Francesco Cataldo Giorgi, vice president of the Happy Ski school in Cortina told Corriere del Veneto: "From what I was told by those present the boy had gained a lot of speed, found a dip that was a sort of boost for him, he was no longer able to control the descent and crashed into the tree.
“It was very bad luck.”
He added: “If he had fallen a few meters earlier or later, nothing would have happened. Unfortunately, in this sport, a fall in the wrong place is enough to lose your life. You have to be careful.”
The victim had been on a half-term holiday with his parents and two other families in Bolzano.
His parents are receiving psychological support after witnessing the crash and followed their son’s body as it was airlifted to the San Martino hospital in Belluno.
Investigators say the scene of the crash was on a “less challenging” part of the 15-minute long 2km descent and are probing whether any other obstacle was involved in the fatality.
A foreign office spokesman said: “We are supporting the family of a British national who has died in Italy and are in touch with the local authorities.”
