Vienna  - German state premier Dieter Althaus was charged with manslaughter by negligence after being involved in a fatal skiing accident in Austria, a prosecutor in the Austrian town of Leoben said Monday.

According to a press release by prosecutor Walter Ploebst, Althaus had submitted written testimony in which he "assumed responsibility for the death of Beata Christandl," who died after colliding with Althaus on a slope in the province of Styria on New Years Day.

The indictment came six months before state elections in Thuringia on August 29, for which Althaus is to campaign as the leading candidate of Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union.

According to the prosecution, the politician had entered onto a slope against the direction of traffic shortly before crashing into the Slovakian-born woman, who died of severe head injuries.

Althaus testified that he has no recollection of the incident, in which he suffered head injuries himself.

The German politician faces a maximum sentence of one year in prison. No date for the trial has been set yet.

After the accident, Althaus was put into an induced coma for several days. He is still recovering from his severe injuries. dpa