Prosecutors decide not to charge man arrested after fatal ski accident
BRECKENRIDGE, Colorado (AP) -- A British skier arrested after a fatal collision on the slopes was released from jail Thursday after the district attorney concluded there was not enough evidence to prosecute him.
Robert Wills, 31, collided Sunday with Richard Henrichs, 56, of Naperville, Illinois, who then struck a tree and died of head injuries. It was not clear how fast the men were skiing.
Wills, who is from Plymouth, England, had been held on $20,000 bail on suspicion of assault and reckless endangerment.
In a statement, District Attorney Mark D. Hurlbert said he arrived at his decision after talking with witnesses and reviewing reports from the police, the ski patrol and the coroner.
Breckenridge is owned by Vail Resorts, which cracked down on reckless skiing in 1999 after six deaths at its four Colorado resorts. Two years ago, a Vail Resorts lift operator became the first person in Colorado to be sent to jail because of a fatal skiing accident. He was sentenced to 90 days.
So far this season, 13 skiers and snowboarders have died in accidents on Colorado's slopes, compared with a record 16 last season.
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