After street race

Teen crashes after police chase

Several young people were injured during the escape from the police. A 16-year-old driver sped off and ended up in an accident.

(Bild: APA/BERUFSRETTUNG WIEN)

A 16-year-old had a wild chase with the Vienna police on Sunday night: Officers from the provincial traffic department had previously targeted the driver on the Südosttangente (A23) when he apparently wanted to have a race with another driver. The operation ultimately ended with a crash into a concrete barrier. 

The traffic police officers had noticed after 1 a.m. on the A23 that two vehicles were apparently challenging each other to a street race. When both cars accelerated again to up to 121 km/h, the plainclothes officers made themselves known with their sirens and flashing blue lights. One of the vehicles then reduced its speed, while the other accelerated and overtook several vehicles on the right.

Lost control and hit the crash barrier
Instead of stopping, the driver of the suspect car continued to speed north on the tangent, steered his vehicle onto the exit ramp at the level of the A23 exit onto the Ostautobahn (A4), lost control of the car and hit a crash barrier. The driver then stepped on the gas again and continued to speed, tailgating the vehicles in front of him, eventually overtaking without indicating and, according to the police, forcing them to pull out and distract him. At the A4 Simmeringer Haide exit, the vehicle finally left the highway ...

Crashed into concrete canvas at 100 km/h
In the area of Landwehrstraße, the driver turned and drove over the sidewalk and grass verge, destroying the concrete barriers, accelerated and continued his journey in the direction of Zinnergasse. There he drove against the direction of travel onto the Freudenau harbor bridge. After driving over the traffic island and traffic sign in Freudenauer Hafenstraße in Vienna-Leopoldstadt, he finally lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a concrete crash barrier at more than 100 km/h, according to the police.

Six young people injured
The occupants of the car and the driver then fled, but were caught by the police. The driver was a 16-year-old Austrian. He and his 15-year-old German passenger were taken to hospital with injuries by the emergency services. The other occupants were two Turkish girls aged 16, a 16-year-old Austrian girl and a 17-year-old teenager. They were also taken to hospital by the emergency services with injuries. The driver was reported several times.