Curious accident

Stolen Salzburg cab turns up in Bavaria

(symbolic image)

(Bild: P. Huber)

A curious cab theft took place in Salzburg on Friday night. Two drunken men asked a taxi driver for water, he got out and the men sped off in the vehicle. An accident in neighboring Bavaria brought the cab ride to an abrupt end...

At 3.57 a.m. today, Friday night, the operations center in Rosenheim, Bavaria, received an emergency call via the automated eCall system following a traffic accident. When the patrol arrived on the B305 near Ramsau near Berchtesgaden, all they could see was an Austrian cab in the right-hand lane. No driver or passengers.

The fire department finally found a slightly injured person behind a pile of wood. Only a short time later, the emergency services found another person in the area of the Wimbachbrücke bus stop. Both men were uncooperative and gave no indication as to why they were there. After clarification at the scene and with the police in Austria, it became known that the cab involved in the accident had been stolen.

Cab stolen after a visit to a brothel
As it soon turned out, two young men had asked for a ride home after visiting an establishment in Salzburg. One of the men asked the cab driver for water. After the cab driver stopped to get a bottle of water from the trunk, the passenger got into the driver's seat and drove off in the direction of Bavaria. The cab driver's cell phone was in the vehicle, so he was unable to inform the police immediately.

The two drunk men drove too far to the left on a right-hand bend near Ramsau and touched the wooden crash barrier. The entire left side was damaged by the impact. The damage amounts to 10,000 euros.  

Men face repercussions in Germany and Bavaria
There was also a dash cam in the vehicle, which filmed the interior of the vehicle. This also made it possible to determine which of the two men was driving the cab. After their personal details had been established and charges filed, the men were released as they are German residents.  

Preliminary proceedings were initiated with the Traunstein public prosecutor's office for endangering road traffic as a result of alcohol and hit-and-run. 

The cab theft is being prosecuted by the Austrian authorities.