Heart attack man died on ski slopes
ATEACHER died on a family skiing holiday after suffering a heart attack and ploughing into a tree in front of his son.
David Richardson, 55, from Offerton, was skiing with 16-year-old Robbie in the Les Angles area of France, in April, when he suffered a cardiac arrest on the slopes.
Paramedics attended after Robbie raised the alarm but the maths teacher died without regaining consciousness. At the time his wife Kay was recovering from a hip replacement operation at home.
Music college student Robbie told a Stockport coroner’s inquest: “We had been on that run a number of times during the holiday.
“We are both really confident and competent so we know what we are doing.
“The conditions were fine. The weather was perfect. We set off together, he was a bit in front of me to start with but I soon caught up with him. We were side by side.
“He fell on to the floor on his backside and he slid straight into the trees at the side. I found him slumped against a tree.
“When I ran back up he was lifeless. He was resting against the tree trunk. I’m assuming he impacted on that tree. I couldn’t see any obvious injuries.
“I called over a couple of other skiers to help him, but nothing could be done. It’s all a bit of a blur.”
Mr Richardson’s wife Kay, a 54-year-old school secretary, told the inquest: “He was a very loving husband, and the best father. He was loyal and perfect. We were married for 21 years.
“After the accident nobody from the French Authorities spoke to us at all, and we only spoke to the British Consulate about practical matters like getting Robbie home and bringing Dave’s body home.”
Post mortem tests showed Mr Richardson suffered significant injuries with multiple bone fractures.
Coroner Chris Smith recorded a narrative conclusion stating that a mix of natural events and accident were the cause of David’s death.
He said: “This is a truly tragic case and something that shouldn’t happen to somebody so young.
“The most logical explanation I have arrived at, looking at the facts, is that David encountered a collapse or cardiac event, and tragically died from multiple injuries from the fall.
“I want to offer the family my sincerest condolences.
“He sounded like a truly special and talented man.”