Dangerous accident

Coach crashes into hydrogen truck on the A2

The coach was badly damaged by the collision.

(Bild: Freiwillige Feuerwehr Stadt Hartberg)

Dangerous accident on the A2 south highway: on Friday evening, a coach with 42 passengers crashed into a hazardous goods transport carrying hydrogen. Miraculously, everyone involved escaped with minor injuries. 

Late on Friday evening, a dangerous accident on the A2 southbound freeway ended just barely. A 42-strong Czech tour group was traveling in the direction of Graz when the 53-year-old bus driver hit a hazardous goods transport shortly before Bad Waltersdorf, presumably due to microsleep. The fatal accident: the truck had liquid hydrogen on board.

Luck in misfortune
Miraculously, however, the highly sensitive cargo remained undamaged, although the coach was badly damaged by the impact. Three of the passengers were also slightly injured, and a nine-year-old boy was taken to hospital for clarification. The rest of the group was driven from the highway to the fire station by the Hartberg, Bad Waltersdorf and Unterlungitz fire departments.

Fortunately, the hydrogen transporter remained almost undamaged.

(Bild: Freiwillige Feuerwehr Stadt Hartberg)

Food, beds and toys for the casualties
The firefighters set up emergency sleeping quarters for the Czech tourists there and in heated tents. They offered them medical care, food and even coloring books, cuddly toys and a movie night in the converted training room for the children. The truck drove to Lower Austria with an escort vehicle, where the hydrogen cylinders were professionally reloaded. Only one lane of the highway in the direction of Graz could be used for over three hours.