Five-year-old British boy died in Spanish skiing accident - Telegraph.co.uk

After spending 11 days in a coma in intensive care, he died on Tuesday.

A magistrate is now investigating the death and the driver of the snow plough, a resort employee, could face charges of manslaughter. When interviewed on March 1, he told investigators he was clearing a path to the chairlift shortly after 5pm on the Friday afternoon and had not seen the youngster playing in the snow.

Known as "Freddy", the boy attended Canonbury School, a state primary in Highbury, North London with his two elder brothers, Alvaro and Pablo.

His father, an Oxford graduate and Spanish mother, both 41, co-founded their own company Energy-Future.com, which publishes guides to the energy industry.

Mrs Nicholls, a qualified teacher, is originally from Jerez de la Frontera in southern Spain but moved to London in 1992.

It was the second family skiing holiday for the Nicholls, who live in Highbury Hill, North London.

Last year, they went to Megev in the French Alps but opted this winter to ski in Mrs Nicholls' native Spain at Baqueira Beret, Spain's biggest winter resort and a favourite holiday destination of the Spanish royal family.

Roberto Buil, the ski resort's director, said: "We would like to express our condolences to the family and will give them all the support we can following this tragic accident."

A spokesman at the Purpan hospital confirmed the death. "The boy arrived by helicopter on February 26, a day after the accident in the resort of Baqueria Beret. He died on March 8." The death follows that of barrister's wife Carol Tolson, 55, who died on 2 March, seven days after falling on the slopes at Obergurgl in Austria. Mrs Tolson, who was skiing with husband Robin Tolson QC, a deputy High Court judge, was taken to Innsbruck Hospital but did not regain consciousness.

Mr Tolson, of Lympstone, east Devon, said his wife was a good skier and had been wearing a ski helmet.