Drunk on the tracks

Accident victim rescued from train at the last second

The electric car had flown over the underpass into the track area of Andorf station, where it was rammed by a freight train.

(Bild: Pressefoto Scharinger/Daniel Scharinger)

A drunk man from the Innviertel region (17) drove his car onto the train tracks in Andorf on Friday. The unlicensed driver had more than 1.4 per mille alcohol in his blood. He and his two female passengers (15, 23) were able to get out of the wreck to safety, partly with the help of waiting passengers, before it was rammed.

A young woman lying injured on the platform, a car wreck torn apart by the train and two other passengers, of whom nothing could be seen at first. "The train driver feared that both might be under the train," says Christoph Schaschinger, commander of the Andorf fire brigade.

Train traffic stopped
An order was therefore immediately issued via the provincial warning center to stop the following train traffic. "We then searched carefully for the missing people." Fortunately, the fears did not materialize.

The Tesla wreck began to smoke repeatedly during the recovery operation.

(Bild: FF St. Willibald)

Admitted to hospital
As it turned out, the driver of the car from Andorf and the second young woman were able to get out of the wreck to safety before it was hit by the freight train. Rescue workers attended to the three injured people (17, 15, 23). They were taken to hospital in Ried/Innkreis.

The firefighters were initially confused as to how a car could have ended up on the tracks at the station. "There are glass and noise barriers to the left and right," said the commander.

Flown over the underpass
According to eyewitnesses, the 17-year-old's electric car had apparently crashed at high speed - coming from a side street - straight through the glass front of the approximately six-metre-deep exit to the station underpass in the intersection area.

During the recovery of the wrecked electric car, fires repeatedly broke out.

Christoph Schaschinger, Kommandant der FF Andorf

The Tesla then flew over the underpass and onto the tracks. The three occupants were able to rescue themselves from the wreckage thanks to the help of passengers waiting on the platform. The train driver initiated emergency braking, but was unable to prevent the collision.

Incidentally, the 17-year-old did not have a driver's license and had 1.24 per mille alcohol in his blood.