After the serious accident in Altenberg, Michael Vogt, pilot of the crashed Swiss four-man bobsleigh, expressed his lack of understanding of the lack of safety precautions.
“I have the feeling that something like that shouldn’t happen, that a sled slips back on the track,” said Vogt, who has now had to cancel the second World Cup weekend in Winterberg because of the consequences of the accident, to SRF.
However, this has “already happened in the past” in Altenberg, Vogt explained. Nevertheless, nothing was done. This was fatal for his pusher Sandro Michel. During World Cup training last week, he was hit with full force by the sled, which weighs over 500 kilos, after being thrown out.
As the Swiss association Swiss Sliding announced on Friday, Michel has now been able to return to Switzerland after three operations in Dresden. The 27-year-old sustained serious injuries to his hip area and chest, and his life was at risk.
Vogt himself suffered a concussion, which “still causes him problems from time to time, especially when getting up. But otherwise he’s doing relatively well in everyday life.” He has no memories of the accident. “I don’t know anything from the entrance to turn 13,” he reported.
Vogt doesn’t have an explanation for the fall, but initially everything was fine during the trip. “It’s Altenberg, it’s one of the most difficult tracks,” said the 26-year-old: “A fall can always happen.”