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Accidents

Human error may have caused Val Thorens ski lift crash, says prosecutor

The crash injured eight workers, including two severely

SNCF guilty of involuntary homicide for 2015 accident that killed 11

Two workers have also been handed suspended prison sentences

Too many drivers in France do not have insurance

‘Driving without insurance is the worst kind of gamble,’ a victims guarantee fund says, after payouts increased by 28% in 2023

news

PHOTOS: Bridge in south of France collapses, lorry falls with it

Driver airlifted to hospital after stone bridge gives way

Man sacrifices car in heroic act in France - strangers buy him new one

Hundreds of people stepped in after the man’s insurance company refused to pay out

Briton’s parachute fails in 140m French base jump - and he survives

A tree broke his fall and he was lucky enough to drop just as some French fishermen were nearby and could help

American and Briton die in separate sports accidents in French Alps

The American tourist died ‘speed riding’ while the Briton died in a skiing accident. A second Briton also died this week after suffering a heart-attack while skiing

Three injured as small plane forced to land near flats in Paris suburb

The emergency landing was a result of suspected engine failure

Fatal plane crash near Nantes: brother of French singer among victims

Gérard Leclerc was one of France’s most prominent political commentators, and half-brother of singer Julien Clerc

French village resorts to bizarre way of stopping cars from speeding

Forget cameras, squiggly white lines could be the new way of slowing cars

Appeal for help over son’s mystery death at French ski resort

Patrick Findlay’s body was found at the foot of a cliff – his mother is calling for anyone who saw him to come forward

Man dies after falling 40 metres from cable car at French ski resort

“It’s terrible. It's the first time an accident like this has happened at the station,” said the director of ski lift firm at Les Deux Alpes. The man was said to be drunk when the accident happened.

French hospital inundated with 80 - 100 ski accidents a day

The situation has been blamed on mild temperatures causing more ‘slushy’ snow and a rise in slope visitors

Three ski deaths in France including an American and a British tourist

The accidents all occurred in the Alps at the weekend and involved falls whilst skiing off-piste or snow touring

French man rescued after falling down hole while checking water meter

His wife found him after he did not come back. He was slightly dizzy but unharmed

New York subway train hits and kills two French graffiti artists

The pair have been described as two artists on the rise in Toulouse who had a dream of tagging the famed subway

Taxi driver in fatal Paris crash lodges complaint against Tesla

The driver who crashed a Tesla Model 3, killing one person and injuring 20 others, is under investigation for alleged manslaughter

Father calls for stricter ski rules in France after son, 7, badly hurt

The boy spent days in intensive care after being hit by a dangerous skier, prompting calls for reckless skiers to have their passes revoked

Channel deaths: French rescuers ‘very probably’ received distress call

At least 27 people died while trying to cross to England on November 24. French maritime authorities had claimed that they did not know about the incident until hours after it occurred

‘I feared for my life as engine failed at speed on French motorway’

Hundreds of drivers join group suing Renault over faulty engines. One driver who started a website for people to share their experiences claims Renault knew about the fault in 2015, a claim Renault denies

Safe landing after Air France plane engine catches fire mid-flight

Passengers on the flight from Paris to Perpignan reported ‘silent panic’ and flames ‘at least two metres high’ coming from under one of the wings

Confusion over French adventurer death: Portugal denies finding body

The team of Jean-Jacques Savin, 75, said his body had been found with his capsized ‘canoe’ but now this is disputed

Calls for compulsory helmets on French ski pistes following death

There are also calls for piste colour allocation to be re-examined on a case by case basis

Tributes flood in for French actor Gaspard Ulliel after fatal accident

The César winning actor was skiing in Savoie when he collided with another skier at the joining of two blue runs. He was 37

Man charged with manslaughter over ski crash which killed girl, five

Ophélie was hit ‘at high speed’ by the skier as she took part in a lesson on a blue run

French hospitals to set flat fee of €19.61 for A&E care from January 1

The charge will only apply to patients who are not hospitalised after their visit, with reductions for certain other categories of people

What are rules should I hit a deer or boar while driving in France?

There are certain steps that drivers involved in such collisions should take to ensure that the road is made safe and that – if relevant – they can claim on their insurance

Report finds 770,000 people driving in France without valid licence

These drivers were involved in 6% of fatal accidents in 2020. The number of people driving without a licence has risen by more than 50% in six years, a new road safety report finds

UK inquest says submarine not cause of 2004 sinking of French boat

Five French fishermen lost their lives when their boat, the Bugaled Breizh, suddenly sank off the coast of Cornwall. Speculation that a military submarine was involved has now been ruled out by a British court

Final report of UK inquest into sinking of French fishing boat delayed

The Bugaled Breizh went down in 2004. An inquest is now seeking to find out if it sank due to a fishing accident or the accidental involvement of a military submarine

Fan who caused Tour de France rider pile-up with sign appears in court

Lawyers have called for a four-month suspended prison sentence for the 31-year-old Breton woman. They say they want her case to serve as an example so it never happens again

UK inquest into mysterious sinking of French fishing boat begins

Five French crewmen died when their boat suddenly sank off the coast of Cornwall in 2004. A French inquest proved inconclusive, and now a new hearing in the UK hopes to shed more light on the incident

Why road accident reduction in France is not entirely good news

Official figures published this week showed number of road accidents went down by nearly 20% between 2010 and 2019, but that European target was still way off

Paralysed British rugby star will return to France after UK treatment

Rugby player James Lasis suffered a life-threatening injury playing for his French club Stade Niçois in Nice. He vows to return to France after rehabilitation

21 drivers fined €135 for filming road accident scene in east France

Gendarmerie in Marne called the behaviour ‘risky and inappropriate’

Body of missing British hiker found by her partner in Pyrenees

The remains of Esther Dingley have been discovered along with items of her equipment in the mountains on the border of France and Spain; part of a skull found last month has also been confirmed to be hers

New €18 set fee to visit A&E in France

From September 2021, anyone visiting A&E in France for whatever reason will have to pay a fixed sum of €18

Major work needed to ensure safety of France's bridges

Between 20,000-25,000 bridges across France still need major work doing to ensure they are safe, a senator has said, one year after the Mirepoix-sur-Tarn collapse tragedy

Laws affecting swimming pool owners in France

As a swimming pool owner, are you liable for accidents that happen in your pool when you’re not there?

Turbocharger blamed for fatal crash on French autoroute

Five children from the same family died in accident

TGV derailment in eastern France caused by landslide

A TGV derailment in eastern France yesterday morning - which injured 22 people, and is continuing to cause TGV disruption - was caused by a landslide, early investigations have shown.

Teenager killed in bridge collapse in southwest France

Two vehicles plunged into river when suspension bridge failed in Haute-Garonne

France's demoralised hospital workers take to streets

Striking staff march in Paris in protest over low pay and relentless pressure in emergency departments

33 hurt in Paris-London bus crash in northern France

Flixbus has set up an emergency call-number for anyone concerned about family members

Drivers in France warned over phone use while driving

Drivers in France are being warned over using their mobile phone while driving, with rising numbers of motorway accidents being linked to illegal mobile use while on the road.

First e-scooter death in France

The first fatal road accident involving an electric scooter is being investigated by Paris police after a 25-year-old rider died in a collision with a van.

Man dies in first fatal scooter road crash in Paris

Paris police are investigating the first ever fatal road accident involving an electric scooter in the capital after a 25-year-old man died in a collision with a van this week.

France's road toll falls 15.5% with 46 fewer deaths

Road deaths fell 15.5% in August with 251 people killed against the 297 in August 2017.

Millas train-bus crash ‘barrier’ inquiry still ongoing

Investigations are still underway to establish the details of the train-bus crash in Millas, in which six people died.

Investigations continue into Perpignan bus-train crash

Investigations are still ongoing to establish what happened in a fatal crash between a school bus and a train near Perpignan

Double arm transplant woman vows to play piano again

A woman who was the first ever in France to receive a double-arm “transplant” has survived and vowed to play the piano again one day.

Father and son survive 30-metre Brittany bridge fall

A father and son from Vosges have made a miraculous escape after plunging 30 metres from a Brittany bridge in their car.

Métro recruits ‘air hostesses’

AIR hostesses and stewards have been demonstrating safety measures on board the Paris Métro, in a bid to cut the number of accidents.

Optician shop boar makes a spectacle

Staff in an opticians could not believe their eyes when a wild boar strolled in through the front door as if looking for an appointment.