British snowboarder crushed by piste basher in Alps
A British snowboarder is suffering from horrific injuries after being crushed by a piste machine in the Tyrol region of the Austrian Alps.
Witnesses told local news services that the man was overtaking the vehicle when he was crushed by it on a piste in Solden, Austria, says the Daily Mail.
A spokesman for the local cable car company told a local news service said the man was snowboarding with his friend at the time.
"One was trying to push the other along a flat section and the next moment he was under the machine," he said.
The man, who is believed to be in his thirties and from West Sussex, was given first aid by the Solden ski lift company, who called the emergency services, says the Daily Mail.
He was then taken by helicopter to Innsbruck Hospital, where he is believed to be fighting for his life.
Piste bashers, or snow groomers, have wide caterpillar tracks with a snowplough blade at the front and a tiller on the back.
The machines are usually used at the end of the day and throughout the night, after skiers and boarders have left the pistes.
Related articles
British skier killed after crashing into snow cannon while skiing
