Crash in landfill

Driver injured and trapped under a crashed truck

The truck remained on its roof, the driver was initially partially trapped under the vehicle, but was freed by work colleagues.(Bild: Matthias Lauber/laumat.at)

A horrific accident occurred on Wednesday evening at a building rubble landfill site in Wels (Upper Austria). A truck had crashed sideways over a steep embankment. The driver (52) was partially trapped under the vehicle and had to be taken to hospital seriously injured. A twelve-year-old who was a passenger survived the accident with minor injuries.

It was probably carelessness on the part of the driver that caused the fully loaded truck to plummet several meters from the unpaved road at the building rubble landfill site in the Puchberg district of Wels at around 5.20 p.m. on Wednesday.

Truck was too close to the edge of the embankment
The vehicle was probably a little too close to the edge of the embankment. It tipped sideways into the abyss, overturned and came to rest with its wheels facing upwards.

The driver (52) from Leonding was partially trapped under the van. However, work colleagues managed to free the seriously injured man. He was treated on the spot by an emergency doctor and then transported to Wels Hospital. 

Twelve-year-old was lucky
A twelve-year-old in the truck - apparently the son of an acquaintance of the driver - fortunately suffered only minor injuries in the accident. However, he was also taken to hospital by the ambulance service for further treatment.