Kjerringåsen Alpinsenter in Sarpsborg, in Norway's Østfold county, has been charged with negligent homicide following the death of 18-year-old Roald Falch Eriksen, who was killed while carrying out maintenance work at the facility, according to VG, citing NRK.
The accident took place on 12 January 2024, when Eriksen was working on a ski tow at Kjerringåsen. He had pulled the stop cord at the top of the lift line to make sure the tow could not be set in motion. Despite that, the lift began to move, and he was caught in the machinery and died.
According to the reporting, the lift was started by an employee who entered an unlocked control cabin and set it running even though the emergency stop circuit had been triggered.
Why it matters
The case places the safety culture of a Norwegian alpine facility under scrutiny in a criminal court, and it centres on questions that reach well beyond one site: whether a stop mechanism meant to protect workers was respected, and whether the people operating the lift had been properly trained.
Beyond the homicide charge, the alpine centre is also accused of serious breaches of the working environment act and the cableway act. The alleged failures include inadequate safety procedures, insufficient training, and allowing a person under the age of 18 to act as a lift operator.
Fine rejected, case heads to court
In September, the alpine centre was issued a fine of 800,000 Norwegian kroner, but it chose not to accept the penalty. The matter will therefore be heard by Søndre Østfold district court.
Public prosecutor Kari Hangeland Buvik told NRK that the court will decide during the trial whether the centre should be punished, and if so, how large the fine should be.
"It will then be up to the court during the judicial review to assess whether the alpine centre should be penalised, and if so, how large a fine they should receive," Buvik said, according to NRK.
Gaute Nilsen, the lawyer representing the alpine centre, had not commented on the charges to the broadcaster at the time of the report.
Earlier investigation found serious safety failures
The Norwegian Safety Investigation Authority has previously examined the accident and identified several serious safety deficiencies at the alpine centre.
There has also been prior criticism of conditions at the facility. On a general basis, the Norwegian Railway Authority has said it was not satisfied with the reporting from Kjerringåsen. The centre apologised at the time and said it would send a supplementary report to the authority.
The charges now put those concerns before a court, where the prosecution will have to establish the basis for criminal liability over the events of that January day.
What to watch: the district court proceedings in Søndre Østfold, where the size of any penalty will be decided.
