Bergkamen: Prosecution in the case of the death of a young ice hockey player

After the death of a young ice hockey player from Bergkamen in 2022, the Dortmund public prosecutor's office has now brought charges against an ERC Ingolstadt player.

The 22-year-old is said to have caused the opponent's fatal head injury with a body check.

The fatal incident occurred on March 5, 2022 during a DEL game between ERC Ingolstadt and EC Bergkamen Bären. A 20-year-old Bergkamen player collapsed on the ice after a body check and died in hospital three days later. The autopsy revealed a severe head injury caused by the check.

The public prosecutor's office has now charged a 22-year-old professional ice hockey player from ERC Ingolstadt with negligent homicide. According to the indictment, he is said to have caused the opponent's fatal head injury with the body check.

The body check is a physical confrontation between two opposing players in ice hockey, in which one player deliberately and forcibly pushes the other player with his body. Body checks can be dangerous and can lead to serious injuries, especially if they are performed with excessive force or in a reckless manner.

The Bergkamen ice hockey club expressed its condolences to the family of the deceased player and called for a thorough investigation. The ERC Ingolstadt also expressed its condolences and announced that it would fully support its player in the legal proceedings.

The trial against the 22-year-old professional ice hockey player is scheduled to start in the coming months. It is unclear at this time how long the trial will last and what sentence the defendant faces if convicted.

The case has caused great shock in the ice hockey community and has once again raised questions about the safety of body checks in this sport. Some experts are calling for stricter rules and penalties for dangerous body checks, while others believe that the body check is an essential part of ice hockey and should not be banned.