Ligety, Brown OK after minor car accident

It takes more than a little car accident to stop Ted Ligety from racing.
    The American skier competed in a World Cup slalom on Tuesday night despite being in a minor car accident with teammate Roger Brown a day before when they were headed back to the team’s hotel.
SCHLADMING, Austria — It takes more than a little car accident to stop Ted Ligety from racing.
    The American skier competed in a World Cup slalom on Tuesday night despite being in a minor car accident with teammate Roger Brown a day before when they were headed back to the team’s hotel.
    “It was a snowpacked road and it was really slippery,” said Ligety, who was in the passenger seat. “We just went around the corner and just slid out. We just went over the ledge and rolled onto a field.”
    Neither Ligety, the Olympic combined champion, nor Brown, who was driving, were injured when the black Alfa Romeo rolled off the road.
    “Looking back on it, it almost seemed like fun but it was sketchy,” Ligety said. “It’s the first time I’ve ever been in an accident like that so looking back it’s kind of scary, but when it was happening I didn’t feel scared.”
    The 22-year-old Ligety was uncharacteristically slow in the opening run of the men’s slalom under the floodlights of the Planai course, finishing 28th with 3.26 seconds to make up in the second leg.
    But Ligety didn’t blame the accident for his disappointing run.
    “I made a mistake up top but it’s kind of flabbergasting how I’m three seconds out,” Ligety said. “It’s something I’ll have to look at and work out. … These things happen I guess. You can’t win every race.”
    Brown did not finish the first leg.

— Erica Bulman, The Associated Press