traffic - Two people burnt at suspected car racing on A44
After an alleged illegal car race with two fatalities in Unna, the police arrested a 39-year-old man in the night. He is suspected of participating in the race, the police stated. On a Wednesday evening, the driver of a sports car lost control on the A44 motorway at the Dortmund/Unna interchange towards Kassel at high speed.
The vehicle caught fire. The two occupants - a 20-year-old and a 52-year-old man from Dortmund - died. Another allegedly involved car fled from the accident scene. The police are now investigating the suspicion of an illegal car race.
The sports car was knocked off the road, plowed through several trees, and immediately caught fire, as the Dortmund police reported. The fire department took care of witnesses and first responders at the accident scene who had to witness the incident.
Quickly, the investigation led to a 39-year-old man who had fled from the accident scene. He was temporarily arrested at his residence in Dortmund two hours after the accident. The investigators seized his car, driver's license, mobile phone, and clothing of the man. After being interrogated, he was released at night.
At the accident scene, traces were secured up to the early morning hours. The secured traces and data from the on-board electronics of both cars are now part of further comprehensive investigations, with which the police intend to reconstruct the events. The investigations are expected to last several weeks, according to the police.
During the accident investigation, the A44 was closed in both directions for a while. The on-ramp to the A1 towards Cologne was also affected. The route is now clear again.
The suspected participant in the illegal car race, who is a 39-year-old resident of Dortmund, was driving an automatic vehicle. This incident, involving racecars, occurred on a German highway in North Rhine-Westphalia, specifically at the Dortmund/Unna interchange, heading towards Kassel. After the accident, the police in Unna and Dortmund collaborated on the investigation. Despite the closure of the A44 due to the incident, the police in Kassel were also notified.
