Violent collision

Wrong-way driver accident on the A1: two seriously injured

This wreck is believed to be the car of the wrong-way driver.(Bild: laumat)

At 2 a.m., a wrong-way driver (47) from the district of Kirchdorf an der Krems caused a serious accident on the Westautobahn: he crashed with full force into the oncoming car of a 19-year-old from the Linz-Land district. The young man died in hospital.

The emergency services were called out on Saturday night to rescue a person after a traffic accident on the A1. The serious crash had occurred on the Salzburg carriageway between Eberstalzell and Vorchdorf, shortly before the Vorchdorf exit.

Previously, at 2.03 a.m., there had been a wrong-way driver report for the section between Vorchdorf and Regau. The wrong-way driver was apparently traveling in the direction of Vienna.

Trapped in the wreck
As a result of the violent head-on collision, the 47-year-old's vehicle was thrown against the concrete median wall there, while the 19-year-old's car came to rest on the hard shoulder on the driver's side. Two people were trapped in their vehicles after the accident and had to be freed by the three fire departments that had been alerted.

This wreck is believed to be the car of the wrong-way driver.(Bild: laumat)

One of the completely demolished accident vehicles on the A1(Bild: laumat)

Serious injuries sustained
A 59-year-old Czech man following behind collided with one of the two vehicles involved in the accident in his car. While this man remained uninjured, the 19-year-old and the 47-year-old suffered extremely serious injuries. The 19-year-old was taken to the hospital in Wels, where he died shortly afterwards. The 47-year-old was flown by rescue helicopter to the accident hospital in Linz. 

The A1 was closed in the direction of Salzburg for five hours
Investigations into the exact cause of the accident are ongoing. The A1 Westautobahn was closed for five hours in the direction of Salzburg between the Eberstalzell and Vorchdorf exits. A fire department drone was also called to the scene to record the accident. Subsequently, the clean-up work could be carried out.