After crash in pizzeria: “That could have ended very badly”

In heavy rain, a Pole (37) lost control of his car in Mittersill on Sunday evening, the “Krone” reported. The man had driven straight into a busy pizzeria on a bend in the city center. While locals and holidaymakers were eating pizza and pasta there, there was suddenly a jostling and rumbling. Tables and chairs flew. And people too.

The dramatic accident left three holidaymakers from Germany seriously injured. They were then taken to three hospitals in the state. Five other people, including another holidaymaker and four local residents, were slightly injured. The fire brigade, the Red Cross and the emergency doctor treated the people. The crisis intervention team was also called in.

Cause of accident: rain, mobile phone and probably fatigue
Martin Rauchbacher was the first on the scene on Sunday evening. The text of the warning: Car in building. The operational manager of the Mittersill fire department initially did not know what awaited him and his colleagues just 50 meters from the fire station. “I don’t want to imagine what would have happened if the outdoor dining area had also been full,” says Rauchbacher. “That could have ended badly.”

He and his comrades took exemplary care of the people, had the car towed away and temporarily sealed the glass front. They were the last on the scene, together with the owner of the house and the tenant of the restaurant. He only took over the popular pizzeria in April. When will it open again? Still uncertain.

The Pole, who lives in Mittersill, told police that the heavy rain and the mobile phone’s navigation system had distracted him. The man also could not rule out that he had fallen asleep for a moment. But he had no alcohol or drugs in his blood.