Unsuccessful search

Driver (40) ran away after accident on highway

The car involved in the accident was eventually towed away, but the driver from Mühlviertel had already made off beforehand.(Bild: Lauber/laumat.at Matthias)

The damaged car was parked on the hard shoulder of the A1 without a driver. There was no trace of the 40-year-old driver. Three drones, sniffer dogs and numerous officers were deployed for hours in the search for a man from Mühlviertel. In the end, the search had to be called off without success. It is unclear why the man ran away.

A cat-and-mouse game between a driver and the police kept the emergency services busy on Friday. At around 4.30 a.m., an accident is said to have occurred between a car and a truck on the A1 at the Voralpenkreuz junction near Sattledt.

The 40-year-old driver is said to have hit the articulated truck while overtaking and then skidded. When the police arrived, the damaged car was already on the hard shoulder. But there was no trace of the driver.

Drones and sniffer dogs
As it was suspected that the driver, who was from Unterweißenbach, might have run off injured and in shock, a large-scale search was launched. The fire department, several drones, sniffer dogs and police officers were also deployed.

A sniffer dog was also used to search for the missing driver (40) in Sattledt from Friday morning.(Bild: Lauber/laumat.at Matthias)

After the surrounding area had been searched without success, the operation was called off after several hours. In the evening, there was still no trace of the driver, who apparently no longer has a valid driver's license.

Mysterious
However, the police know the name and address of the wanted man from the registration certificate. It is unclear why the man reacted the way he did. It is also possible that he was under the influence of alcohol.