Trial in Lausanne: Five men accused over figure skater Sevastianova's fall
Six years after Olga Sevastianova's fall during a rehearsal in Lausanne, five men face court – including her own husband.
Fall during Olympic youth games rehearsal: Husband and technicians before Lausanne court
Six years after the serious accident involving Russian figure skater Olga Sevastianova, a trial for negligent serious assault is taking place in Lausanne. According to 20 Minuten, five men are among the accused – including Sevastianova's own husband Sergii Sevastianov.
On 7 January 2020, the performer was to be hoisted upwards using a rope winch during a rehearsal at what is now the Vaudoise Aréna – as part of preparations for the Olympic Youth Games. However, the device had been installed without two necessary guide rollers on the ceiling. Loops formed in the rope, which suddenly came loose. The violent movements threw Sevastianova off balance; she fell roughly four metres and sustained life-threatening injuries.
The central question in the proceedings concerns responsibility for the faulty installation. Sergii Sevastianov repeatedly emphasised in court on Monday that he had only worked as an assistant. According to his own account, he had operated the rope winch at around 200 shows and had known the device for years. When asked whether he had read the operating instructions, he answered: "No, I was just the assistant." The two rollers that had remained in the transport box also did not prompt him to intervene – he had trusted the technical team.
However, according to his own statement, Sevastianov was not completely unconcerned. He helped secure the motor with straps. "That seemed strange to me," he admitted. Nevertheless, he followed the instructions of the technicians; during the preparation of the major show, everything had to happen quickly.
In addition to Sevastianov, four officials or employees of the responsible event technology company must answer to the court. The company director explained that, for material brought along, there was a clear division of responsibilities: his company had been responsible for hanging the device, while starting it up fell to the performers themselves – this was customary in the industry. When asked by the court why technicians had installed a machine they were unfamiliar with without requesting the operating instructions, he failed to provide a concrete answer.
"We had 600 performers to deal with. I cannot look after everyone," he said. Six years later, it could no longer be precisely determined where something went wrong.
The trial is expected to continue until Thursday.
Source: 20 Minuten