Reuters
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An Austrian court late Thursday found a 37-year-old amateur mountaineer guilty of manslaughter for killing his girlfriend in the cold after leaving her to seek help near Austria’s highest peak, local media reported.
This incident is unusual. This is because, although mountain climbing accidents are common, even in situations like this one where various mistakes were made, it is rare for someone to be prosecuted for them.
A court in the western city of Innsbruck sentenced an Austrian man to a five-month suspended sentence and fined him 9,400 euros (about $11,100) for causing her death in January 2025 through gross negligence. This crime carries a maximum penalty of three years in prison.
The case raised questions about the extent of legal liability in the high mountains, an inherently dangerous environment that climbers commonly explore at their own risk.
After a day of climbing well behind schedule, the woman was too exhausted to go any further than 50 meters below the summit of Grossglockner on a frigid winter night, the court heard.
The defendant, identified only as Thomas P., left his girlfriend, Kirstin G., unwrapped in an emergency blanket or bivouac bag and left exposed to strong winds when he went to seek help at a shelter on the other side of the mountaintop, for reasons that cannot be fully explained. The equipment remained in her backpack.
A brief call was made to mountain police, but no search was conducted. Police said he had not made it clear that he needed help and did not respond to calls or WhatsApp messages asking if he needed help. The defendant stated that his cell phone was in airplane mode to conserve battery power.
“What I would like to say is that I am truly sorry,” Thomas P., who has pleaded not guilty, told the court.
