Drama in Upper Austria

Train hits car on level crossing, driver dead

The Audi was hit on the passenger side by the train.

(Bild: Manfred Fesl)

A terrible accident at around 5 p.m. in Schalchen (Upper Austria): A train set of the Mattigtalbahn hit a car. The vehicle was dragged around 115 meters and badly damaged. The driver, a 38-year-old woman, could only be rescued dead.

It was shortly before 5 p.m. on Thursday evening when the terrible accident occurred. At the unrestricted level crossing on Schulstrasse, the driver of a black Audi may have overlooked the approaching regional train set. The 38-year-old's car was hit on the passenger side and dragged around 115 meters. The volunteer fire departments from Mattighofen and Schalchen were quickly on the scene to rescue the driver from the wreck.

Woman was recovered dead
However, the local woman had already succumbed to her serious injuries and could only be rescued dead from the wrecked car. The driver and the 15 passengers were not injured in the accident. The clean-up work took two hours and rail traffic had to be temporarily suspended.

Accidents again and again
In the Braunau district, serious accidents occur again and again at the unrestricted level crossings. On February 1, 2022, a 55-year-old woman was killed when her vehicle was hit by a train of the Mattigtalbahn. The driver probably overlooked the train coming from the direction of Mattighofen at the Unterlochen level crossing, which was unrestricted and secured with St. Andrew's crosses. Despite the emergency signal and the initiation of emergency braking, a crash occurred.