Snow and icy roads: fatal accidents and train cancellations

Weather - Snow and icy roads: fatal accidents and train cancellations

Snow and icy conditions have caused disruptions on roads and railways in large parts of Baden-Württemberg. Passengers can expect cancellations to train services, particularly on regional services, according to a Deutsche Bahn (DB) spokesperson on Saturday. The south-east of Baden-Württemberg and the greater Lake Constance area were particularly badly affected. One problem was trees falling under the weight of the snow and blocking the tracks. The railroad asked travelers to check the Internet or telephone travel information before setting off.

On Saturday night, an ICE train coming from Hamburg had to terminate its journey at Ulm main station. There, the train was available for stranded passengers as a so-called "stopover train". Passengers who were unable to continue their journey were able to spend the night there. According to DB, the train was supposed to turn around in the early afternoon and return to Hamburg.

There were several accidents on the roads throughout Baden-Württemberg from Friday afternoon due to the winter weather. In Emmingen-Liptingen (Tuttlingen district), a 54-year-old man died in an accident on a slippery road. According to the police on Saturday, his car skidded and crossed into the oncoming lane. There it collided with a van. The driver succumbed to his injuries at the scene of the accident on Friday afternoon. The 67-year-old driver of the van was uninjured.

Three people were killed in a serious traffic accident in Helmstadt-Bargen (Rhine-Neckar district) on Friday. However, it is still unclear whether the weather was the cause. Three other people were seriously injured and taken to hospital. According to initial police reports, a 19-year-old driver crossed into the oncoming lane and collided head-on with an oncoming car. A 23-year-old female driver was unable to brake in time and also crashed. The three vehicles were totaled.

There was an accident on the Autobahn 8 near Leonberg (Böblingen district) on Saturday morning in which one person was seriously injured. According to police reports, a 42-year-old man skidded in icy conditions and crashed into a concrete crash barrier. His car finally came to rest on its side in the middle of the road and the man was able to free himself unharmed. However, a 45-year-old driver hit the broken-down vehicle and was seriously injured. The highway remained closed for around three hours for the recovery work.

Winter road clearance work is also underway at Stuttgart Airport. However, flight operations are proceeding normally, a spokeswoman said on Saturday. There were no disruptions or even flight cancellations in the morning. "Everything is normal and within the usual range," she said. It is also expected to remain that way for the rest of the day. After air traffic at Munich Airport was temporarily suspended, a plane from Skopje landed in Stuttgart in the morning - the plane was actually due to arrive in Memmingen in Bavaria. The passengers would now be taken to Memmingen by other means, said the spokeswoman.

Vfb Stuttgart will host SV Werder Bremen on Saturday evening. Whether the fans will have to adjust to restrictions on the way to the stadium remained unclear at first.

Press release on the accident in Emmingen Police press release on the accident near Leonberg Press release on the accident in the Rhine-Neckar district