A court in Innsbruck has heard that the account given by Thomas Plamberger does not match the evidence surrounding the death of his girlfriend, Kerstin Gurtner.
Gurtner, 33, died in January 2024 near the summit of Grossglockner, Austria’s highest mountain. Temperatures had dropped to around minus 20°C. Plamberger, 39, is on trial accused of negligent homicide.
He told the court that after spending time with her in severe cold, she urged him to “go” and get help. He said he left her to seek rescue. However, the judge stated that the position of her body did not match his description. A rescue official confirmed she was found in a different location and appeared to have fallen while trying to descend.
Prosecutors argue that Plamberger made serious errors. They claim the couple were poorly equipped and that he failed to call for help promptly. He is also accused of leaving her exhausted and hypothermic instead of turning back earlier in worsening weather.
Plamberger denies wrongdoing, calling it a tragic accident. The court will decide whether his decisions on the mountain amount to criminal negligence or a fatal misjudgment in extreme conditions.