Canadian National Ski Cross team member Nik Zoricic in North Vancouver Sept. 15, 2009.Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press
Alpine Canada will "thoroughly review the findings" of an investigation into the death of ski-cross athlete Nik Zoricic, and the organization will hold another safety summit, president Max Gartner said Wednesday.
But the governing body of ski racing in Canada stopped short of pushing demands for a full independent inquiry made by the skier's family at a news conference yesterday.
The Zoricic family and lawyer Tim Danson are holding off any potential lawsuits that might inhibit testimony of athletes and officials as they seek an explanation for the death of the 29-year-old from Toronto. Zoricic suffered fatal head injuries after a March 10 crash in a World Cup race at Grindelwald, Switzerland.
The family wants closure, Danson said.
Zoricic has yet to be buried pending an inquiry and the declaration of an official reason for his death.
It was clear at the news conference Wednesday, the family was hurt by the lack of answers from international ski officials.
"We've been reaching out to authorities for some time and hit a brick wall," said Danson, who showed a frame-by-frame video of Zoricic approaching a finish area that was described by the lawyer as a death trap.
The video, he claimed, demonstrated that skiers were forced to the right off the final jump; the so-called spill-zone was almost non-existent and not groomed; the wrong kind of fencing was used in the finish area; and hard snow was inexplicably piled at the finish-line area.
He called out race organizers for "incomprehensible and stunning negligence."
"There's not an independent investigation going on. … We've reached out and all we get is silence," Danson said.
"Alpine Canada shares the same desire as Nik's family to learn any lessons from this tragic accident," Gartner said. "There is presently an investigation under way by the Swiss police and state authorities."
Gartner's aim is to work with the International Ski Federation (FIS) to try to prevent similar accidents, an Alpine Canada statement said. The Canadian federation will participate in the FIS advisory group to review ski-cross rules, specifications and processes as part of a postseason evaluation.
"The safety of our athletes is our No. 1 priority," Gartner said.
Canadian ski officials described the crash as a "freak accident," but Danson disagreed, calling it "a disservice to Nik," who had raced in 36 World Cups.
Reliving the last few moments of Zoricic's life and demanding an independent inquiry are "devastating," said his mother, Silvia Bruder, "but it has to be done so it doesn't happen to anybody else. … It could have been prevented. Every cell in my body hurts."
His father, ski coach Predrag (Bebe) Zoricic, also was critical of landing and crash preparations in the area near the final jump, saying "everything was in the wrong place."
He also said wounds Nik Zoricic suffered weren't caused by the course's safety netting but likely by the fall and colliding with the hard snowbank.
Danson called the death "entirely avoidable" and chastised ski authorities for not making any statement of condolence to the family.
Sarah Lewis, secretary general of FIS, said the organization has tried to follow procedure in terms of respecting an investigation by Swiss police and other authorities. "The authorities are evaluating the situation and then they will give their verdict on what has happened," Lewis said.
The FIS said race organizers were experienced and the venue and course were well-established on the World Cup circuit, but a formal safety review of freestyle skiing was in the works.