World Cup champ Hirscher escapes car crash

While driving from Abtenau to Annaberg, in his home region south of Salzburg, the 23-year-old was forced to swerve to avoid a head-on collision with a car on the wrong side of the road, the Austrian ski team said.

"Phew... 1 million guardian angels: I'm fine, don't worry. Just a routine check-up in hospital now," Hirscher wrote on his Facebook page on Monday after the accident which wrote off the car he received shortly after clinching his first World Cup title.

Hirscher was taken to hospital in Salzburg and received treatment on his body and hand as well as his neck.

The crash occurred near Altenmarkt, where twice Olympic champion Hermann Maier suffered a serious motorcycle accident which nearly ended his career in 2001.

Three-times world champion Rudi Nierlich died in a car crash in the same area, in St Wolfgang in May 1991.