Difficult recovery – crash with mobile home: “Family was very lucky”

At 9:30 a.m., the family of four was on their way to Kufstein in a rented mobile home. The 40-year-old mother was behind the wheel, with her husband of the same age next to her. “He was looking for something in the glove compartment. The woman looked there, which distracted her for a while,” says police spokesman Stefan Eder.

The distraction had fatal consequences: the camper ended up on the grass verge and then over a four-meter high slope. The vehicle eventually became stuck in an inclined position.

Mother and children liberated through doors and windows
“Several trees crashed into the vehicle. One even poked through it,” says René Arzberger, commander of the Kramsach volunteer fire brigade, of the image the Floriani disciples saw when they arrived. While the father had already freed himself, the mother and the children, aged three and five, were still in the mobile home.

“We freed them through the window or the door. We are very lucky that no one was trapped,” Arzberger explains. All four sustained minor injuries.

Difficult recovery, traffic jam of more than six kilometers long
The subsequent rescue was difficult as the trees were very unstable. A towage service also had to be called in. “The rope winch was used over and over again, so sometimes we needed both jobs,” explains the fire chief.

As a result, the highway had to be completely closed in between. The result was a traffic jam of some six kilometers – also a great test of patience for those on their way back from their holiday. Due to the arduous rescue effort, the 20 Floriani disciples and their three vehicles were on duty until 1 p.m. The rescue was on the scene with four ambulances and an ambulance, plus the police with two vehicles.