1.5 per mille in the blood

Five injured in hospital after head-on crash

The 66-year-old's car is a complete wreck.(Bild: FF Oberpullendorf)

More and more details are becoming known following the terrible head-on crash in Unterpullendorf (Burgenland) on Saturday afternoon. According to the report, the driver in the accident (29) from Vienna was probably driving far too fast after a wedding party with a blood alcohol level of almost 1.5. His Skoda drove over a traffic circle and crashed into a jeep. The man (66) at the wheel - he is from Strebersdorf - was trapped and seriously injured.

The accident happened shortly before 5.30 pm. A Viennese Skoda driver thundered into the Unterpullendorf area at far too high a speed.

Lane divider overlooked
The 29-year-old, who was heavily intoxicated, apparently overlooked the lane divider. His car, occupied by three friends from Vienna, sped through the middle of the planted traffic circle, mowed down a tree, touched a traffic sign and rammed into an oncoming jeep. The 66-year-old man from Burgenland at the wheel was thrown violently backwards onto the verge in the vehicle he had borrowed from a friend.

The rescue operation was dramatic. The accident victim was trapped. The Oberpullendorf fire department had to free the seriously injured man from the wreckage with the help of recovery equipment. The patient was flown to the trauma center at Wiener Neustadt Regional Hospital in the Christophorus 16.

"There was a terrible bang, almost like an earthquake," says local resident Zele Sorim. The loud bang woke him from his afternoon nap. The witness was greeted by a scene of horror when he looked out of the window. "I immediately ran outside. Three people were lying on the street, the sidewalk and the meadow. They were quickly treated by the emergency services. Even the asphalt had been torn up by the crash," reports the horrified resident.

Accident driver only slightly injured
The driver who caused the accident - who was probably on his way home after a wedding in Frankenau - escaped with minor injuries. He was taken to Oberpullendorf Hospital. A breathalyzer test revealed a blood alcohol level of almost 1.5 per mille! Two passengers - 28 and 29 years old - suffered serious injuries. They are in the care of specialists at the hospitals in Eisenstadt and Wiener Neustadt.

A third passenger (35) was taken to the shock room at Eisenstadt hospital. Apart from the Red Cross and three emergency helicopters, three fire departments with 40 volunteers were at the scene. The drunk person who caused the accident is facing proceedings for negligent bodily injury in road traffic.