Lost control

Crashed into snow cannons: Man and boy injured

The 52-year-old, who had crashed into a snow cannon in Auffach, was flown to Innsbruck Hospital after receiving first aid.(Bild: ZOOM Tirol)

Two serious skiing accidents occurred in the Tyrolean lowlands on Saturday. In Jochberg, a 14-year-old collided with a snow lance and suffered serious internal injuries, while in Wildschönau, a 52-year-old man collided with a snow cannon while skiing down a closed piste at night. 

The first accident occurred on Saturday morning in Jochberg. Shortly after 11 a.m., a 14-year-old local was skiing down a red slope and, according to the police, lost control of his skis for unknown reasons. At high speed, the boy then crashed into a padded snow lance in the middle of the slope.

The 14-year-old sustained serious internal injuries in the collision. After receiving emergency medical treatment on site, he was flown by helicopter to Innsbruck University Hospital. 

Man crashed into a snow cannon next to the slope
A 52-year-old local man also ended up there a few hours later. When the piste was already closed for the night, he was skiing down the valley run in Auffach in the Wildschönau with a friend (46) at around 6 pm. According to the police, the 52-year-old then turned right off the piste at the end of the pull path before the last slope and skied between a wooden fence and a boundary net.

The man drove between a wooden fence and a piste boundary net, which separates the ski slope from the mobile snow cannon behind it.

Die Polizei in einer Aussendung

The man fell for unknown reasons, hit a snow cannon and suffered injuries to his spine. The injured man's companion set the rescue chain in motion and provided first aid. The emergency helicopter then flew the local man to the hospital in Innsbruck.