Seven people dead

Horrific tractor-trailer accident: three men charged

Seven people were killed in the accident.

(Bild: APA/dpa/Sven Hoppe)

Nine months have passed since the tragic accident involving a tractor-trailer on the Autobahn 94 in Upper Bavaria. Now the public prosecutor's office in Traunstein has brought charges against three suspected organizers of the trip. The accusation: smuggling with fatal consequences, according to the authorities.

The minibus in which the 24-year-old driver sped away from the police was completely overcrowded at the time. Seven passengers died, including a child. The driver is still under investigation - the public prosecutor's office has charged him with seven counts of murder.

A total of three men, who were 17, 22 and 23 years old at the time of the crime in October 2023, are in custody. The other two are strongly suspected of having organized and carried out the smuggling as so-called "scout drivers" together with the driver.

Scout drivers

• Organize tows and accompany the actual towing vehicle with other cars
• Scout out where police checks are taking place
• Then direct the driver via other routes

According to the public prosecutor's office, however, it assumes that the scouts - unlike the driver - did not act with intent to kill and were therefore guilty of smuggling with fatal consequences.

The juvenile chamber at Traunstein District Court must now decide whether to admit the charges. The vehicle had a Viennese license plate. The 24-year-old stateless driver was resident in the German capital.

What exactly happened?
The three men are said to have become aware of police checks at the Simbach border crossing on the day of the crime and directed the driver of the minibus to the Burghausen border crossing. When the driver noticed that he had attracted the attention of police officers, he is said to have accelerated after a phone call with the scouts - the completely overcrowded vehicle reached speeds of up to 180 kilometers per hour. On entering the Waldkraiburg/Ampfing highway exit, the minibus overturned with catastrophic consequences.