Transporter hits truck on A9 highway
A van crashed into a truck on the Autobahn 9 between the Dittersdorf and Schleiz junctions (Saale-Orla district) on Thursday morning. The 33-year-old co-driver of the van was trapped and suffered life-threatening injuries, as the highway police announced on Thursday.
The rescue helicopter that was supposed to fly the man to hospital was unable to take off from the scene of the accident due to a technical defect. The 33-year-old therefore had to be transferred to an ambulance and taken to hospital overland. The 39-year-old driver of the van suffered minor injuries.
According to the police, the driver of the van had probably fallen into a microsleep and hit the truck on the A9 in the direction of Munich and then crashed into the central crash barrier. After around two hours, the full closure of the highway was lifted and traffic was diverted past the stationary rescue helicopter. Officials estimate the damage caused at 40,000 euros.
The incident on the A9 highway was classified as an emergency, requiring the assistance of the highway police and a rescue helicopter. Due to a technical issue, the helicopter was unable to transport the injured co-driver directly to the hospital, leading to a traffic delay while an ambulance was arranged.
Source: www.dpa.com
