Crash kills British speed skier

A speed skier in action

Calls are made for a safety review after British speed skier Caitlin Tovar was killed in a pre-race accident.

The 32-year-old slipped on her way to the start line during the event at Les Arcs in France and slid more than 3,000ft down the slope at high speed.

She was taken to hospital in Grenoble but died of head injuries a day later.

Tovar had only taken up the sport 18 months ago and had beaten the British women's record of 125.5mph just two days before the accident.

Speed skiing is where racers hurtle down a specially-made track and clocked over one kilometre at speeds which can be in excess of 150mph.

They wear skin-tight rubber suits and aerodynamic helmets, which fell off in Tovar's case, and a safety net also failed to stop her as she accelerated on the icy slope.

Two years ago an Italian speed skier died on the same course.