The parents of 18-year-old Swiss cyclist Muriel Furrer have told The Athletic that they will not pursue any further enquiries into her death after a criminal investigation into the circumstances surrounding it was closed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe must accept this outcome,\u201d they said. \u201cWe have found a way to live with the grief and the immeasurable loss and suffering.\u201d<\/p>\n
Furrer died in September 2024 during the junior world championship road race in Zurich, crashing on a descent in the suburb of K\u00fcsnacht, just 15 minutes away from her childhood home.<\/p>\n
An investigation by The Athletic<\/a> subsequently revealed that Furrer had not been discovered by course officials or medical workers for around an hour-and-a-half after crashing, having disappeared from sight in heavy undergrowth below the road. She passed away in hospital from severe head injuries the next day.<\/p>\n After an 18 month investigation, the Zurich public prosecutor\u2019s office ruled in March<\/a> that neither the emergency response nor those responsible for course safety were criminally liable for the tragedy.<\/p>\n \u201cBased on the police investigation, the cyclist\u2019s fall is considered a racing accident with no evidence of criminal conduct or contributory negligence on the part of the organiser, other race participants, or third parties,\u201d read a press release from the prosecutor\u2019s office.<\/p>\n In a statement shared with The Athletic and Swiss newspaper Le Temps, Furrer\u2019s parents, Christine and Reto, said that they \u201cacknowledge no criminal conduct has occurred\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201c(We) are particularly concerned that Muriel remained undetected for so long,\u201d they added. \u201cIt is important that the right lessons are learned from the incident and that similar situations are prevented in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n Her parents confirmed that they consider the matter closed.<\/p>\n The full investigation has not yet been released because the final conclusions have not yet become legally binding. It means that several further issues \u2014 such as whether the presence of tracking technology or extra marshals could have shortened the delay in finding Furrer \u2014 have not yet received an answer.<\/p>\n