Close amputation: a Swiss bobsledder wants to sue his tormentors

A man lies across the Altenberg bobsleigh track. He and his team have just had an accident at nearly 140 kilometers/hour. He has already lost consciousness and is thrown from the boat. The metal sled inexorably continues its course. First forward, then backward. The path in the opposite direction leads the bob straight towards the unfortunate man lying across the ice tube.

This unfortunate man is called Sandro Michel, and he has no memory of this training accident. Nor the days that follow, for that matter. “I remember our warm-up on the track and then everything disappeared. I don’t remember the hospital.” Even the photos that those close to him may have taken with him don’t speak to him. Total forgetting. “It was especially difficult for my teammates. They saw everything,” he says.

On the other hand, he suffers the consequences. In addition to the concussion and associated memory loss, the bobsled tore his hip. He speaks of a wound 35 centimeters wide and 50 centimeters long there, with a femur almost detached from his body. It was only held together by muscle and skin.

After eight months and a few surgeries, the Aargau dream of returning to his sport. But before that, he must already get rid of the cane that still helps him walk. “I am not able to stabilize myself,” he whispers on the phone.

Punish those responsible

This is what his life has been like since this accident which occurred on February 13, 2024 in Altenberg. Some see it as an improbable combination of circumstances. For the 28-year-old Swiss bobsledder, the organizers made a mistake. Another team had already suffered a fall during the same morning of training.

Between the accident of the German team of Johannes Lochner and that of Team Vogt, what measures were taken? “I don’t know what they changed, but they certainly didn’t do the right thing. A track as difficult as Altenberg does not require such fast ice from the first day,” accuses Marina Gilardoni, head of performance sports at Swiss Sliding. “We were on track record times from training,” warns Sandro Michel. There is no room for error.

The worst could only be avoided thanks to the emergency services on site. Sandro Michel’s leg – and perhaps even his life – was saved. “The team on site was shocked,” explains the former bobsledder. We know that our sport can include accidents. It happened, and it will happen.” What is wrong with the German World Cup stage is the security protocols.

The Altenberg track is not the only one to have a climb towards the finish. Obviously, inertia means that the bob can go backwards. “There are people who can stop it. They take advantage of the momentum when the bob is not accelerating to grab hold of it and stop it.” What about February 13, 2024? “Sandro [Michel] was ejected. I don’t know if there weren’t enough people around to stop the bobsled or take it off the track. It’s still not clear,” breathes Marina Gilardoni.

The international federation in the crosshairs

In its press release relating to the accident, the international federation (IBSF) mentions the Swiss’ fall. Which was “crushed by the bobsleigh which was sliding uncontrollably from the finish area”.

A little over a month later, IBSF president Ivo Ferriani returned to Sandro Michel’s injury in an end-of-season letter. “This accident particularly affects us and prompts us to reflect. A round table that I am inviting will address safety and racing issues with experts from different fields to exchange ideas, in the near future,” he promised.

Switzerland sees this as window dressing. “We demanded the creation of a security commission. Our request was rejected in favor of an idea from the IBSF itself,” laments Marina Gilardoni. Failing to include security in its statutes, the international federation created a working group on the issue. Which doesn’t convince everyone.

“There is enormous pressure,” underlines the head of performance sport of the Swiss federation, supported by other nations. Expectations are focused on an extraordinary meeting scheduled for October. The police also carried out their investigation, apparently without taking action. “The organizers say they have done everything necessary, but it is not over,” promises the Swiss. If collective pressure achieves nothing, the Swiss camp could always try to take the legal route to obtain some form of justice.

Rebecca Garcia is a journalist in the sports section. Holder of a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Neuchâtel, she is particularly interested in alpine skiing and the economics of sport.More info

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