Slip Sliding Away 
2003 Reader Submission
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Tourist killed in Alps
A BRITISH holidaymaker has died after trying to slide down a cable-car wire in the Italian Alps.
David Mason, who was from Glasgow, suffered fatal injuries in the incident in which he had attached a mountaineering snap-link on to the cable. He had then tried to slide down the wire using his hands to regulate his descent.
But the 49-year-old lost control and smashed into rock outcrops at high speed before hitting a metal pylon.
His son, Douglas, 18, was with him when the accident happened on Sunday in mountains near Belluno in the Veneto region of northern Italy.
Local reports said that several passers-by had tried to stop Mr Mason – but he had ignored their warnings and had carried on. A helicopter was sent to airlift English-born Mr Mason to hospital, but he was declared dead on arrival.
Mr Mason and his son were on a week-long break with the tour operator Crystal Holidays and had arrived in the area, which has spectacular scenery, last Wednesday.
The area is popular with British holidaymakers and it is believed that Mr Mason had visited the area before.
A police spokesman for the Trento region said: “We have opened an investigation into what is a very unusual and bizarre accident.
“It would appear that, perhaps to save time, he attached himself to the cable and tried to slide down thinking that he could control himself with his hands.
“However, he was unable to do so and quickly lost control, hitting the first rocks within seconds and carrying on down, smashing into others before hitting the pylon.”
The police spokesman said that local authorities did not know whether Mr Mason or his son had any mountaineering experience.
http://www.news.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=1006512002 Submitted on 09/10/2002
Submitted by:
Andy Z
Reference:
WWW.Scotsman.com 10 Sept 2002
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