Into the oncoming lane

Crash in driving snow: Driver trapped in wreck

The Dutchman was trapped in the van. He had to be freed by the fire department.(Bild: zoom.tirol)

A fatal traffic accident in the early hours of Wednesday morning on the Fernpass road in the Tyrolean Außerfern: a Dutchman drove his van into the oncoming lane and collided with a small truck. The 61-year-old was trapped in the wreck and had to be rescued by the fire department.

The accident happened shortly before 4.30 am. The 61-year-old Dutchman was driving his van on the B179 from Reutte in the direction of Innsbruck when he crossed into the oncoming lane near Heiterwang for unknown reasons. There he collided with full force with an oncoming small truck.

Freed with rescue shears
"The Dutchman was trapped in the vehicle and had to be freed by the Heiterwang volunteer fire department using the rescue shears," reported the police. The driver suffered serious injuries. 

After initial treatment at the scene of the accident, he was taken to Reutte Hospital by ambulance.

The B179 had to be closed due to the accident.(Bild: zoom.tirol)

The driver of the small truck, a 36-year-old Romanian, escaped with a fright and remained uninjured. The B179 Fernpassstraße was closed to all traffic in the area of the accident for around one and a half hours. A local detour was set up.