Accelerator and brake

Evil curse? Parking lot of mixed-up pedals

The German L17 driver also fell over the embankment into the forest in 2022.

(Bild: ZOOM Tirol)

Last Sunday was not the first time that a car crashed in the parking lot at the so-called Kanzelkehre on Tiroler Achenseestraße. And once again the accident had the same cause: the driver mixed up the accelerator and brake pedals. 

This parking lot on Achenseestraße in Wiesing (Schwaz district) seems to be "jinxed". Not only because two cars have crashed in practically the same place in the past two years, but above all because of the reason: in both cases, the accelerator and brake pedals were mixed up.

First mishap of this kind in 2022
The first accident of this kind occurred in May 2022, when a 15-year-old German girl wanted to park a car in the Kanzelkehre parking lot as part of an L17 training drive. Her mother (37) was sitting next to her in the car.

Braking attempt failed
The 15-year-old crossed a kerb and then tried to brake. The attempt to brake failed because the young woman pressed the gas pedal instead of the brake. As a result, the car drove four meters down the embankment below the parking lot. There were no injuries, but the Wiesing fire department had to secure and recover the car.

A crash barrier in the unsecured area would have been a good idea.

Andreas Rofner, Kommandant der Feuerwehr Wiesing

Déjà vu experience on Sunday
Last Sunday, the Wiesing Florianis led by commander Andreas Rofner had a déjà vu experience: the same fateful mix-up of pedals happened to an Israeli (79) in a rental car with automatic transmission. As a result, the car plunged seven meters down the steep embankment into the forest with four holidaymakers inside.

The crash last Sunday

(Bild: ZOOM Tirol)

Serious damage to property
Three people were able to free themselves from the car afterwards, one person had to be rescued from the vehicle by the Wiesing volunteer fire department. As in 2022, there were no injuries, but there was serious damage to property.

Hiking trail directly under the parking lot
The fact that there were no injuries is nothing short of a miracle. "A hiking trail starts directly below the parking lot," says fire department commander Andreas Rofner. Shortly before the accident, hikers were still walking in the area. And during the rescue operation by the fire department, numerous hikers and cyclists also passed by.

Demand for safety measures
In light of the accidents at the busy parking lot in the vicinity of another busy hiking and cycling trail, there are now calls for a safety barrier. "A guardrail at the unsecured spot would be good," emphasizes Andreas Rofner.