Escape after crash

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The driver was classified as unfit to drive. He had to provide blood and urine samples.(Bild: Kantonspolizei St. Gallen)

Spectacular scenes took place on Monday evening in the neighboring Lake Constance town of Staad (Switzerland). A 66-year-old man involuntarily parked on the railroad tracks there and fled. 

At around 9.30 p.m., the driver of the car left the road at the Mosti level crossing, hit several posts and smashed through a fence. The car then came to rest on the railroad tracks. The uninjured 66-year-old fled the scene of the accident in the direction of the lakeshore.

The miscreant did not get far: a patrol from the St.Gallen cantonal police found the man a short time later standing at the foot of a staircase in the lake thanks to tips from several witnesses who had followed him.

The driver of the car was classified as unfit to drive, so a blood and urine sample was ordered. The man's foreign driving license for Switzerland was revoked.

Railroad line closed
The vehicle was a total loss. The extent of the damage caused to the railroad infrastructure is still being assessed. Rail traffic was interrupted until shortly before 11 p.m. until the accident site was cleared.

Several patrols of the St.Gallen cantonal police, the SBB intervention and the rescue service were deployed. In addition, the environmental damage service of the Canton of St. Gallen was alerted due to leaking fuels. Possible environmental effects are still being investigated.