After crash

Jumped off bridge while fleeing from police

Rescuing the injured man proved to be somewhat more difficult.(Bild: Mathis Fotografie)

A 40-year-old man jumped twelve meters into the depths at around 10 p.m. on Friday night when he saw a police car approaching. He lay injured underneath the Illbrücke bridge, from which he had fled after an accident. The fire department had to launch an elaborate rescue operation to retrieve him. 

Spectacular scenes took place on the Vorarlbergerstraße (L190) between Frastanz and Feldkirch on Friday. At the level of the new tunnel portal in Felsenau, a car driver skidded - apparently due to excessive speed. The car, in which two men were sitting, broke through two guard rails, skidded across the oncoming lane and finally crashed into several traffic signs.

The emergency services had their hands full.(Bild: Mathis Fotografie)

After jumping from the bridge, the man lay injured next to the Ill River.(Bild: Mathis Fotografie)

The bend before the new tunnel portal was the driver's undoing.(Bild: Mathis Fotografie)

When one of the two occupants spotted an approaching police vehicle a short time later, he ran off and jumped from the Ill bridge. The 40-year-old did not survive the 12-metre jump into the depths without injury and remained lying next to the river. 

The fire department, water and mountain rescuers had to be called out to rescue the injured man. The rescue workers joined forces and used a turntable ladder to abseil down to the 40-year-old. A drug or alcohol test could not be carried out on the injured man due to his state of health.

Different versions of the accident
It is unclear who was behind the wheel at the time of the accident, as the accounts of the witnesses differed considerably. Neither drugs nor alcohol could be detected in the second occupant of the car.

The car was a total loss. The L190 was closed in both directions during the rescue and recovery work until 11.40 pm. The Frastanz fire department was deployed with four vehicles and 40 personnel, the Feldkirch city fire department with three vehicles and 30 personnel. In addition, the mountain rescuers helped with six men and the water rescuers with twelve men. The police were on site with 16 officers.