Extreme athlete Jochen Schweizer fell badly while on vacation in Austria. This now makes him look at life differently - and he therefore wants to draw conclusions.
Leogang – Most people probably know Jochen Schweizer because of his voucher company. The entrepreneur not only sells extreme sports experiences, but is also very active in sports himself - his hobbies include skiing. However, the German was seriously injured in a skiing accident in Leogang, Austria, late last year.
“It really hit me”: Jochen Schweizer talks about his serious skiing accident in Austria
Schweizer suffered a shattered shoulder blade, a broken rib cage, a hematoma the size of a palm on his head and several torn tendons. After this traumatic incident, which landed him in an Austrian accident clinic, the former extreme athlete changed his perspective on life.
“It really hit me,” Schweizer admitted shortly after the accident. He thanked his followers on Instagram for their well-wishes while hiding his eyes behind sunglasses. A dpa report later revealed further details about the accident, which took place in December.
After skiing back, Schweizer independently alerted the emergency services
Schweizer is said to have driven down a slope in Leogang at high speed. When he noticed three snowboarders, he tried to avoid them. He briefly lost his visibility as he drove from the sunlight into the shadows and veered off the slope. “I probably had 100 things on it,” he told
Bild
. He was thrown 100 meters away and 15 meters deep into a forest. Luckily he landed in deep snow - he is sure he wouldn't have survived a collision with a tree. A similar incident cost the life of a 14-year-old in Tyrol at the beginning of the year.
Schweizer was lying between snow-covered trees in “brutal pain”. Three men discovered him and dragged him back to the slope. Despite his serious injuries, he skied back to his house on his right ski. When he got there, he alerted the emergency services, who immediately took him to an accident clinic. Schweizer gradually became aware of the full extent of his accident. Such accidents on the slopes can cause not only physical damage but also high costs. In Austria, three helicopters were recently used in a 13-hour rescue mission to rescue an injured skier.
Despite the serious accident in Austria, Schweizer remains active on social media
After the accident, Schweizer announced on Instagram that he would need surgery on his shoulder in April. This has now happened. Bild published a
photo
showing the entrepreneur shortly after the procedure in a Munich clinic. In the selfie, which he took with a serious look in the mirror, he is wearing a large sling around his left arm and injured shoulder. It will take months until he is completely healed.
The traumatic experience in Leogang doesn't let Schweizer go: "This accident changed my thinking." He has to accept that at 67 he simply no longer has the same abilities as he did at 27.
Despite everything, Jochen Schweizer remains very active on his social media channels. Just yesterday he posted a video on Instagram in which he talks about courage and what it means to him. It seems like the entrepreneur will be back on TV soon. According to rumors, Schweizer and another investor are about to make a comeback on “The Lions’ Den”.