Arrest still in the night - Two men burn, allegedly after a car race
A picture of the burnt-out wreck of the Porsche in the dense bushwork along the A44 speaks volumes: It is likely that at an illegal race, and at high speed, the driver of the sports car lost control at the Dortmund/Unna autobahn intersection.
The car veered off the road, splitting through several trees and immediately went up in flames, as the police reported. The two occupants - a 20-year-old and a 52-year-old man from Dortmund - died. According to dpa information, they were father and son.
Witnesses report high speeds
Early on, there is cause for the police to suspect that an illegal race with the driver of a highly motorized Mercedes as the starting point for the fatal accident: "We had witnesses at the scene who could make very precise statements about what happened in the moments leading up to the accident," said a police spokesperson.
Several witnesses reported observing how the Porsche and Mercedes were driving on the section before the intersection with excessively high speed. There, the lanes are narrow and there is a speed limit. From this, the initial suspicion of an illegal race arose, which is now being investigated.
Flight and arrest not two hours later
Unlike the witnesses and first responders who stayed, the Mercedes is said to have fled from the scene. However, the license plate number of the fleeing driver was read, leading to a provisional arrest a little later: Less than two hours after the accident, a 39-year-old was arrested at his residence in Dortmund. The investigators seized his car, his driver's license, his cell phone, and the clothing of the man. After being interrogated, he was released in the night.
Out of respect for the families, the police do not name any details about the deceased. Who was behind the wheel is still under investigation, as is the question of whether the 39-year-old knew the two men in the Porsche and how the alleged race came about.
Detailed reconstruction of the accident sequence
"We are really still at the beginning of the investigation," said the police spokesperson. The detailed reconstruction of the accident could take weeks. Witness statements, traces from the autobahn, information from the on-board electronics of the two vehicles, and other evidence must be evaluated. "Like a puzzle, a complete picture then emerges, with which we try to prove potentially culpable behavior," said the police spokesperson.
Illegal races engage investigators and justice throughout Germany. In North Rhine-Westphalia alone, the police reported 2144 prohibited vehicle races last year, 526 of which ended in an accident. Three people died.
Illegal races are folly and nonsense, said North Rhine-Westphalia's Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU). "I don't understand how people can be so reckless on the road." These accidents are just as tragic as preventable. We will continue to take action with controls, specially trained traffic accident investigation teams, and prevention against prohibited vehicle races.
Reckless driving and races cost lives
At worst, those killed in traffic accidents are people not involved in the race: Like in a 2022 accident in the Lower Saxon Barsinghausen: In this case, the Hanover Regional Court sentenced a woman and a man to prison sentences - only a few hours before the Porsche burned out in Unna. The two had arranged a race, resulting in the deaths of two children.
The 42-year-old driver was sentenced to life imprisonment, her 41-year-old racing rival to four years. The judgment was due to two murder cases, attempted murder, grievous bodily harm, and an illegal race resulting in death.
In October 2017, prohibited car races were upgraded from an administrative offense to a criminal offense. Since then, participating in such races can be punished with prison sentences. Previously, there were only fines. Paragraph 315d in the Criminal Code provides for up to ten years in prison if the death of another person is caused by an illegal car race.
- The burnt-out wreck of the Porsche in Unna is believed to be the result of an illegal race, where racecars were involved.
- The Mercedes-Benz, another high-performance car, was reportedly involved in the illegal race and later fled the scene.
- The investigators in North Rhine-Westphalia have been dealing with illegal races, as they led to 2144 prohibited vehicle races last year, resulting in 3 fatalities.
- The police in Dortmund arrested a man in connection with the Unna accident, as his Mercedes-Benz was identified as the fleeing vehicle.
- In another tragic case, two children lost their lives due to reckless driving and an illegal race, leading to imprisonment for the participants in Lower Saxony.
- Since 2017, participating in illegal races has become a criminal offense in Germany, as it can result in death, and convicted offenders may face prison sentences of up to ten years.
- Witnesses recalled traffic incidents with both the Porsche and Mercedes-Benz engaging in high-speed driving before the Unna accident, highlighting the dangerous nature of these illegal races.
