Former Austrian skier Matthias Lanzinger, who lost part of a leg after a crash during a World Cup race, plans to sue the International Ski Federation (FIS) for compensation.
The 27-year-old Lanzinger had his left lower leg amputated earlier this year after crashing in Kvitfjell, Norway, in a super-G race.
In an interview on Monday with the Austria Press Agency, Vienna attorney Manfred Ainedter said Lanzinger would sue the Switzerland-based ski organization because he allegedly had to wait too long for treatment and didn’t receive adequate care in an Oslo hospital.
Ainedter said the decision was based on an opinion from Bernd Steckmeier, a Munich surgeon.
Lanzinger broke his shin and fibula during the March race. The double fracture severely damaged blood vessels, hampering circulation in his leg.
Following the accident, race organizers were criticized because no medical helicopter was available. Lanzinger was flown to a hospital in Lillehammer in a tourist helicopter and later taken to Oslo.
Ainedter said the hospital in Lillehammer where Lanzinger was first taken was incapable of treating vascular injuries, leading to a loss of time that “decisively worsened” the chances of saving his client’s limb.
The lawyer said the FIS should have done more to verify the security and medical arrangements in Kvitfjell and checked whether requirements detailed in the FIS medical guide were being fulfilled.
The FIS confirmed in a statement on Monday that it had received a set of documents related to Lanzinger’s accident from a group of Vienna-based lawyers and had forwarded them to its legal expert.
Last week, the FIS ordered changes to several courses and said it would allow racers to wear more protective equipment in an attempt to make World Cup downhill races safer.
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