Photo: A06/LEITNERW (BFV LIEZEN)
According to the ÖAMTC, the wrong-way driver was flown to the LKH Graz by helicopter in a critical condition. The other driver was taken to the LKH Rottenmann. The head-on collision happened around 11:00 a.m.
As the Styrian police announced in the evening, the ghost driver was an 81-year-old man from the Liezen district. Shortly before, he had purchased an annual pass from the Ardning/Bosruck toll booth and drove from the toll booth car park on the lane towards Linz for about four minutes and eight kilometers in the direction of Graz. He caused several accidents at the same time.
Two drivers were lucky
Shortly after the toll booth, an oncoming car driver swerved his car to the right because of the wrong-way driver and touched another vehicle in the first lane. Fortunately, there was no property damage, as was an accident in the Selzthal tunnel. Again, an oncoming car driver was able to avoid the “ghost driver” in time and touched another vehicle. The 81-year-old continued his journey in the opposite direction undeterred.
At the level of the Rottenmann driveway, there was a head-on collision with a car driven by a 77-year-old man from Upper Styria, who was traveling in the right lane at around 100 km/h in loose convoy traffic in the direction of Linz. Due to the massive impact, both vehicles were thrown across the roadway and came to a standstill in the area of the central guardrail. Both drivers were trapped in their vehicles. Firefighters freed the men.
The 81-year-old wrong-way driver was flown to the LKH Graz by the C14 rescue helicopter with life-threatening injuries. The 77-year-old driver of the other car was taken to the Regional Hospital Rottenmann by the Red Cross with serious injuries. Alcohol tests were negative. The A9 was closed for about two hours in the direction of Linz to recover the accident cars. A diversion took place until shortly before 1:00 p.m. via the Rottenmann exit or the Schoberpass federal road (B113).
Source: Nachrichten
