Driver trapped

Truck loaded with concrete crashed off the highway

The injured driver was freed from the overturned truck.(Bild: FF Wiener Neudorf)

Spectacular accident on the south highway in the district of Mödling (Lower Austria): A truck had left the carriageway. The heavy vehicle loaded with concrete overturned over the guard rail and came to rest on its side. The injured driver was trapped in the driver's cab.

It is still unclear why the van weighing several tons left the lane in the morning traffic. In any case, the truck loaded with concrete left the highway near Wiener Neudorf at Shoppingcity Süd, overturned and landed behind the guardrail. The driver suffered injuries in the accident and was trapped in the driver's cab.

Paramedics treated the driver of the vehicle involved in the accident.(Bild: FF Wiener Neudorf)

Difficult operation
When the fire department arrived at the scene of the accident, the injured man was already receiving emergency medical treatment on the spot from a Red Cross team. The first task was to free the accident victim from the wreckage as gently as possible. "Working closely together, the windshield was removed so that the casualty could be rescued," reports Martin Billensteiner, head of operations for the fire department.

Before the overturned truck could be rescued, the cargo had to be shoveled off the loading area.(Bild: FF Wiener Neudorf)

Then, in coordination with the ASFINAG highway maintenance department, the accident wreckage was salvaged. Due to leaking operating fluids and the complicated position of the truck, it was decided to call in the large fire department crane from Mödling.

The truck, which weighed several tons, was lifted over the guard rail with the fire department crane.(Bild: FF Wiener Neudorf)

While the heavy emergency vehicle rolled up, firefighters had to manually shovel the concrete from the loading area of the truck involved in the accident. The cardan shaft of the overturned heavy vehicle was also removed. The vehicle, which weighed several tons, was then lifted over the guardrail onto the freeway. A private company then took over the removal.