Ex-“Lion’s Den” star Jochen Schweizer says he almost paid with his life for a skiing accident in Austria. He now wants to draw conclusions from this.
Leogang – Shattered scapula, broken costal arch, a palm-sized hematoma on the skull and several torn tendons. Jochen Schweizer was taken to an Austrian accident clinic with these injuries. They only give an idea of how seriously the well-known entrepreneur actually had an accident while skiing in Leogang. A traumatic experience for the former extreme athlete that now makes him look at his life differently.
Jochen Schweizer flies unrestrained into the forest - three men drag him back to the runway
“It really hit me,” said Schweizer shortly after his accident. He addressed his followers on Instagram and thanked them for their numerous well wishes. He covered his eyes with sunglasses. The
dpa
news agency is now revealing more details about the exact course of the accident in December.
Jochen Schweizer skied down a slope in Leogang at high speed. When he saw three snowboarders, he wanted to avoid them. Because he was driving from the sun into the shade, he briefly lost visibility and went off the slope. “I probably had 100 things on it,” he now told
Bild
. He then flew 100 meters far and 15 meters deep into a forest. Luckily for him, he landed in deep snow. He is absolutely certain that he would not have survived the collision with a tree. This is exactly what was fatal to a 14-year-old in Tyrol at the beginning of the year.
Jochen Schweizer operated on in Munich: Healing will take months
The Swiss man then lay between snow-covered trees in “brutal pain”. Three men saw him there and dragged the injured man back onto the slope. Despite serious injuries, he still skied back to his house on his right ski. Once there, he alerted the emergency services, who immediately took him to an accident clinic. Schweizer is slowly realizing the full extent of his accident. Such incidents on the slopes often result in not only physical damage but also high costs. In Italy, insurance for skiers is even compulsory.
After the accident, the Swiss announced on Instagram that his shoulder would have to be operated on in April. That has now happened.
Bild
published a photo that shows the entrepreneur shortly after the procedure in a Munich surgery. In the selfie, for which Schweizer photographed himself in the mirror with a serious look, he is wearing a large sling around his left arm and injured shoulder. It will take months for complete healing.
Former “Lion’s Den” star wants to draw conclusions from the accident
The traumatic experience in Leogang still concerns the experience-entrepreneur: “This accident changed my thinking.” He has to acknowledge, says Schweizer, that at the age of 67 he simply no longer has the same abilities as he did at 27.
Jochen Schweizer is still very active on his social media channels. Yesterday, Thursday, he published a video on Instagram. In the short clip he talks about courage and what it specifically means to him. The entrepreneur will probably appear on TV again soon. Apparently Schweizer and another investor are about to make a comeback with “The Lions’ Den”.