"The investigation is not yet complete" - Two months after Zurich Worlds, Swiss authorities still don't have answers to all questions surrounding the death of Muriel Furrer

Cycling
Monday, 18 November 2024 at 23:00
muriel furrer imago1051260213h

The tragic passing of 18-year-old Muriel Furrer during the UCI World Championships in Zurich is the dark cloud that hangs over the race in Switzerland. An extensive investigation into the causes of her tragic death is still on-going. But nearly two months after the accident there's still no conclusive details into what had happened that day, nor who's to blame.

"The extensive investigations involving the Institute of Legal Medicine at the University and the Forensic Institute of Zurich are ongoing. The investigation is not yet complete," the Zurich public prosecutor's office told Swiss newspaper Blick.  

"It is not possible to make any predictions about when the investigation will be completed at this time, as not all investigative measures have been completed, for example, the pending report from the Institute of Legal Medicine."

The public prosecutor's office did not rule out charges. A local organising committee organises the World Championships on behalf of the UCI.

"In such cases, the law enforcement authorities always examine from the outset whether there has been any criminal misconduct and whether criminal proceedings should be initiated as a result. To date, no criminal proceedings have been initiated," the Zurich public prosecutor's office said.

What do we know so far?

Furrer sustained a critical head injury when she crashed during the junior women's road race in circumstances that remain unclear. Race officials and medical teams apparently did not see Furrer crash and questions have emerged about exactly how long she remained alone (with several reports suggesting it's been more than an hour until a helicopter arrived to transport Furrer to the hospital), without receiving medical attention.

Furrer's death lead to opening of a massive safety debate, with riders and staff firing back at UCI who banned earpieces in World Championships and even experimented with racing certain stages without team radios during regular season... before the tragic events in Zurich. Many suggest use of tracking devices, including radios could've lead to much faster arrival of help to Furrer...

Just in

Popular news

Latest comments