Details of the Lower Austria drama

Accident drama in Lower Austria: Four construction workers died

The scene of the fatal accident drama the day after: The traffic circle acted like a catapult, hurling the car around 100 meters through the air.

(Bild: Helmut Horvath)

Horrific crash in Lower Austria: A pick-up truck with Swedish license plates and six occupants (all construction workers of foreign origin) had raced across a traffic circle without braking. The car was catapulted into the air and flew 100 meters. Four men died. The "Krone" has the first details.

A long straight, excessive speed, a traffic circle as a launching pad: this explosive mix was the tragic fate of six men in the district of Neunkirchen. The horror crash with four fatalities and initially two serious injuries kept the emergency services in the district of Neunkirchen on their toes on Thursday evening, as reported.

Six construction workers
The vehicle with six occupants - the men were construction workers from Sweden and Latvia aged between 27 and 34 - was speeding along Neunkirchner Allee at around 9.30 p.m. when the traffic circle appeared seemingly out of nowhere. The vehicle was catapulted into the air, rolled over several times and only came to rest on its roof in a wooded area around 100 meters further on. A driver following behind made an emergency call.

The scene of the fatal accident drama the following day: The traffic circle acted like a catapult and hurled the car around 100 meters through the air.

(Bild: Helmut Horvath)

The wreckage was recovered and is now being examined.

(Bild: APA/EINSATZDOKU/LECHNER)

The scene of the accident on Friday

(Bild: Helmut Horvath)

"Debris everywhere"
A large contingent of police, paramedics and firefighters were alerted to the scene of the accident on the B17 in the St. Egyden am Steinfeld area in the district of Neunkirchen. When they arrived at the scene of the accident, the rescuers were met with a scene of horror: "In addition to the injured, there was also debris from the vehicle lying around everywhere," said one rescuer.

Five of the six occupants were thrown out of the car during the rollover. Another is said to have been trapped in the vehicle. "Immediate rescue measures were started immediately. Despite all efforts, four men died at the scene of the accident, two were taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries - a 29-year-old to Wiener Neustadt Regional Hospital and a 34-year-old by helicopter to Graz University Hospital."

"The victims are construction workers - a 33-year-old Swedish citizen and three Latvian nationals aged 27, 30 and 34," explained police spokesman Johann Baumschlager in response to an inquiry from Krone. It has not yet been established who was driving the vehicle at the time of the accident. The accident victim's clothing and the wreck were seized for criminal investigation to determine who was driving. The investigation is ongoing.

Such dramatic accidents are rare
"Such a dramatic accident at this location is very rare," says a police officer. The junction was specially defused by the authorities many years ago. The driver involved in the accident was probably traveling at a very high speed when the traffic circle "surprised" him without braking. The horror of the horror crash was written on the faces of many for a long time - as one of the most dramatic incidents in recent decades.