Woman sues six-year-old girl in Austria over skiing accident

Vienna // A six-year-old girl was accused in an Austrian court Thursday of causing a skiing accident in which a woman, who is suing her for damages, was seriously hurt.

The woman involved is suing the child for €38,000 (Dh151,000) in Feldkirch, western Austria, as well as for any other future costs relating to the accident.

The woman was heading down the piste in the Hochhaedrich resort near the Swiss border and the girl was turning when they collided, the court heard.

An independent expert appointed by the court testified that neither had been paying enough attention and that they therefore shared the blame.

Children cannot normally be found liable in civil cases in Austria but the plaintiff is making use of a legal exception for when a child is able to recognise the consequences of its actions.

The woman has previously sued the girl’s father and her skiing teacher but the case was rejected. The father and the teacher both testified again on Thursday and a verdict was expected in writing in early 2016.

The extent of the claimant’s injuries were not made clear but her lawyer said that she would never ski again.

* Agence France-Presse