Vienna - Polish regional politician Marek Nawara suffered serious head injuries in a skiing accident in Austria, local police confirmed Saturday.

The governor of the Malopolska province was on a slope in Sankt Margarethen in the Austrian province of Salzburg on Friday when he fell and hit his head on the piste.

Marek's injuries were so severe that the 52-year-old politician had to be flown to a hospital in Klagenfurt by helicopter. The hospital's spokesperson had no immediate comment.

Police said that although there were no witnesses, they assumed that no one else was involved in the accident. Marek was not wearing a helmet.

Another politician involved i an Austrian skiing accident, the premier of the German state of Thuringia Dieter Althaus, is currently recuperating from a head injury he suffered when he collided with a woman on New Year's Day. The Slowakian woman died. (dpa)