Crashed 40 meters

Huge stroke of luck: car landed back on its wheels

The car was recovered by the fire department.(Bild: FF Heiligenblut am Großglockner)

A couple of guardian angels must have been particularly attentive. When two couples from Vienna and Lower Austria were driving their car on the Grossglockner High Alpine Road, they suddenly left the road in a bend.

Right-hand bend 18, "Magrötzenhang", on the Grossglockner High Alpine Road was almost the undoing of a 71-year-old Viennese man, his 72-year-old wife and a couple from Lower Austria, both 72 years old, on Monday. The accident occurred on the stretch from Guttal towards Hochtor. 

The car plunged 40 meters, overturned and landed back on its wheels.(Bild: FF Heiligenblut am Großglockner)

"The driver drove off the road to the left," reported the police. "The vehicle overturned several times over the steeply sloping terrain." Fortunately, it landed on its wheels again after a good 40 meters and came to a standstill. Miraculously, all the occupants were able to get out of the vehicle themselves.

The road was closed for around 15 minutes.(Bild: FF Heiligenblut am Großglockner)

"An oncoming driver set the rescue chain in motion", the police continued. "After initial treatment, the driver of the vehicle was flown to Lienz Regional Hospital by the C7 rescue helicopter with undetermined injuries." As a precaution, the three other occupants were taken to Lienz hospital by the ambulance service "for clarification". 

It's hard to imagine what else could have happened. The Heiligenblut fire brigade deployed 10 emergency crews to carry out the rescue work - the High Alpine Road was therefore closed for almost 15 minutes. The Apriach - Großkirchheim and Winklern fire brigades were also deployed.