Ski trip coach driver found guilty of manslaughter
The driver of a ski trip coach which crashed in France killing a teacher and injuring several children has been found guilty of manslaughter.
Derek Thompson, 49, was driving a group on a ski trip organised by tour operator Interski when the coach flipped on its side on a motorway embankment in the Champagne-Ardenne region.
A teacher, 59-year old Peter Rippington from Alvechurch Middle School in Worcestershire, was killed and several pupils injured in the accident which happened in the early hours of February 19, 2012.
Earlier in the court hearing, prosecutors said Mr Thompson had told police he ‘may have’ dozed off at the wheel.
Thompson was given a six-month sentence suspended for five years.
Lawyers at Irwin Mitchell, representing 25 injured passengers, said it now intends to press the tour company, Interski, to admit liability, reports the Daily Mail.
Diane
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