A9 Deutschfeistritz – Eight-year-old seriously injured in tunnel accident

On Sunday around 11:15 a.m., a 41-year-old driver from Bosnia-Herzegovina had to stop in the Schartnerkogel tunnel on the Pyhrnautobahn A9 towards Linz due to a traffic jam. A 54-year-old driver from the Graz area was unable to brake and crashed into the back of the 41-year-old. A 53-year-old Croat then drove into the 54-year-old’s car.

Helicopter operation
In the 53-year-old Croatian’s vehicle, his eight-year-old daughter was in the passenger seat and his 57-year-old wife was in the back of the car. The eight-year-old suffered serious injuries as a result of the collision and, after receiving first aid at the scene of the accident, was taken to the Graz State Hospital by the rescue helicopter Christophorus 12 and admitted to hospital. The 54-year-old Croat and his wife were slightly injured in the traffic accident and were taken to the Graz State Hospital by the Austrian Red Cross. No other people were injured. An Alkomat test performed was negative for all drivers.

Totalperre
The Pyhrnautobahn A9 was closed in both directions at the Schartnerkogel tunnel until 1:30 p.m. Traffic was diverted via the S 35 or S 6 via the Bruck an der Mur junction. There was significant damage to the vehicles and they had to be towed away by a towing company. Two patrol teams from the Gleinalm highway police, the Austrian Red Cross with four vehicles, the Christophorus 12 rescue helicopter, the Deutschfeistritz and Friessach-Wörth volunteer fire brigades and the ASFINAG, Guggenbach’s highway maintenance department, were deployed at the scene of the accident.