300,000 euros damage

US Army accident: Salzburg AG bill to Joe Biden

On Monday afternoon, a US Army truck lost its way to the highway underpass and got stuck. Repairing the trolleybus line is extremely expensive.(Bild: Tschepp Markus)

A military truck loaded with explosive material caused a traffic jam and considerable damage in Salzburg on Monday afternoon. The Americans have to pay for it.

A small convoy consisting of two trucks and an escort vehicle caused a stir in Salzburg on Monday afternoon: the driver of the first military truck had unintentionally driven off the A10. When the soldier realized the mishap, he tried to drive off on the A1 so that he could later drive back towards Germany. As is usual in military vehicles, without a navigation device. The journey ended, the "Krone" had reported, at the highway underpass in Schmiedingerstraße in Liefering.

There are no restrictions for passengers on route 7 - only trolleybuses with a battery are used here.(Bild: Tschepp Markus)

The truck not only severely demolished a trolleybus line. As it was also carrying explosives and ammunition which, in combination with the electricity from the trolleybus line, could have created an explosive mixture, the police cordoned off a large area. The result: a total closure of the A1 for a good 90 minutes, traffic jams in the city of Salzburg too. And according to Salzburg Linien, the damage to the line amounted to 250,000 to 300,000 euros. Well boom!

Repair work takes up to two weeks
Trolleybus traffic through Schmiedingerstraße is no longer restricted. Only buses with batteries are now being used. However, the repair work will take up to two weeks.

Austria is a transit country and is surrounded by NATO countries. There are diplomatic relations. Such transports must be registered in advance. That was also the case here.

Major René Auer, Presse- und Informationsoffizier Militärkommando Salzburg

 The police recorded the damage to property yesterday and are investigating the owner of the registration. That can only be the US Army.

To put it simply: Salzburg AG will send the bill to Joe Biden, Commander-in-Chief of the American armed forces. According to Salzburg military command spokesman René Auer, the details are as follows: "Salzburg AG will probably send the invoice to the Federal Ministry of Defense. The latter will then contact the US Army." In the end, it is a classic insurance case.

Incidentally, Auer notes that transportation of military equipment from NATO partners is nothing unusual. Austria has diplomatic agreements with neighboring countries, for example. Such transits are approved well in advance. This was also the case this time.