Three dead in wrecks

It was a dark night for the emergency services

Although the roof of the Skoda was quickly removed, there was no hope for the driver.(Bild: Matthias Lauber/laumat.at)

Three Upper Austrians lost their lives in road traffic accidents in quick succession on Tuesday night. Around 90 firefighters were on duty for hours, but unfortunately all help came too late for the victims. This was extremely stressful, especially for the younger firefighters, and a debriefing was urgently needed. 

The first tragic accident occurred in Micheldorf. There, a 49-year-old father from Molln crashed his Skoda into an oncoming truck. The car was pushed forward by the articulated lorry until the wreck got stuck in a crash barrier.

"After consulting with the emergency doctor, we carried out a crash rescue with the comrades from Leonstein and removed the roof of the car," says Michael Oberndorfinger from the Micheldorf fire brigade. "However, the emergency doctor quickly determined that there was no chance of survival for the driver due to the serious injuries."

"Like a battlefield"
The scene was like a battlefield and not without danger for the 40 firefighters from three fire departments, as the oil from the truck was spread over a wide area.

"The operation was very stressful, especially for the younger firefighters. That's why we called in the stress management team (SvE) for a debriefing together with the Leonstein fire brigade," says Oberndorfinger. The Croatian truck driver (46) was injured and taken to Kirchdorf Hospital.

Only a short time later, another accident tragedy occurred: at 11.30 p.m., an Audi near Haidersdorf (Lower Austria) veered to the left for as yet unknown reasons, skidding first against the BMW of a 35-year-old from Waidhofen an der Ybbs, then against a second BMW driven by a 56-year-old from Amstetten.

"Not everyone is resilient"
The 38-year-old driver and the 43-year-old co-driver, both from Steyr, could also only be recovered dead from the wreckage (the Audi). Here too: "It was a very stressful operation, so you always have to look at who you call in to help - not everyone is so resilient," says incident commander Martin Flankl from the Vestenthal fire brigade, describing the problem.

The two drivers of the BMWs were taken to the hospital in Steyr with injuries. Around 50 firefighters from four fire departments were deployed for around two hours.