Darkness and cold

Drugged driver flees through river after accident

The vehicle involved in the accident(Bild: Feuerwehr Stubenberg am See)

A 35-year-old drugged driver overturned his unregistered car early on Saturday morning. He then fled with his passenger (29) through the ice-cold Feistritz river in front of two first responders. 

The emergency services were not allowed a good night's sleep on Saturday morning: At around 1.30 a.m., the Stubenberg am See, Pöllau and Sparberegg fire departments and the police were called to an accident. Shortly after the Stubenbergsee lake, but already in the gorge, a car that was not registered for traffic and had two different and stolen license plates had overturned. Lying on its roof, it came to a standstill on the road.

The car was lying directly on its roof in the lane in the gorge in a relatively blind spot.

Feuerwehrkommandant Peter Windhaber

Two drivers and witnesses to the accident stopped to provide assistance. But before their eyes, the man (35) and the female passenger (29) struggled out of the wreck, climbed down the embankment and ran away in the darkness through the ice-cold Feistritz. 

The Pöllau and Sparberegg fire departments were alerted for the search operation with the help of a drone. However, by the time they arrived, the fugitives had already been apprehended by the police. The officers also seized the two stolen license plates as well as narcotics (marijuana) in the backpack of the driver, who was also slightly drunk and impaired by narcotics. He also does not have a driver's license. He and his accomplice were taken to hospital - and charged.