Two people burned in illegal car racing
A Porsche comes off the autobahn at high speed. The car crashes into trees and begins to burn. Two people die in the flames. The police suspect a race and are looking for the second driver.
Two occupants of a sports car have died in a serious accident on Autobahn 44. According to initial findings, the driver of a Porsche lost control at the Dortmund/Unna interchange towards Kassel at high speed.
The car veered from the left lane of the highway onto a parallel road in the direction of A1/Cologne and eventually crashed through the densely wooded median strip. The impact caused several trees to fall, and the vehicle caught fire immediately, as the Dortmund police reported. "The two previously unidentified occupants perished in the flames," the report states.
According to the "Bild" newspaper, the victims were the father and his 20-year-old son. Both were severely disfigured by the fire. Therefore, their identification was difficult, the newspaper writes.
The fire department reportedly cared for witnesses and first responders at the scene who had witnessed the accident. A photo shows police officers standing at the scene of the accident on the A44 green strip and employees of a funeral home transporting one of the accident victims' bodies.
The second car involved in the alleged race fled. "There are witness statements regarding this car," the police added. Investigations are ongoing. A suspect has been arrested and released, according to the "Bild" newspaper. The police seized his Mercedes, clothes, and phone.
Due to the severity of the accident, the Traffic Accident Investigation Team of the Dortmund Police Department used drones and 3D scanners to document the accident and its entire surroundings. Numerous tire tracks were observed in the early morning hours, which needed to be evaluated, as well as data from the vehicle electronics, a spokesperson said. Further information was not possible at the moment.
The Porsche, according to the "Bild" newspaper, was reportedly driving over 200 km/h in the exit lane and may have skidded on a road imperfection. The speed limit at this location is 120 km/h. The tire tracks extended over a length of more than 250 meters, the newspaper continued. During the accident investigation, the A44 was temporarily closed in both directions, and the on-ramp to the A1 in the direction of Cologne was also affected. The road is now open again.
The tragic incident occurred in North Rhine-Westphalia, one of Germany's most populous states. International news outlets have shown interest in the case due to its severity and the potential involvement of a high-speed race.
Despite the efforts of the police and other emergency services, both occupants of the Porsche failed to survive the traffic accident, making it a case of multiple death cases on German roads.
