Child Survives Tragedy

Devastating train-car collision claims two lives

The tragic accident occurred at a railroad crossing on the Franz-Josefs-Bahn line involving a freight train (stock photo).(Bild: FOTOKERSCHI / DAVID RAUSCHER)

A tragic accident occurred on Saturday afternoon near Allentsteig (Lower Austria). According to initial reports, two adults were killed. A five-year-old child is believed to have survived. According to ÖBB, a freight train collided with the car. 

Dramatic rescue operation for four fire departments in the Waldviertel region: According to initial reports, a train on the Franz-Josefs-Bahn line collided with a car near Allentsteig in the Zwettl district. While two adults were recovered only to be pronounced dead, a five-year-old child is believed to have survived the horrific accident.

The fire departments of Thaua, Allentsteig, Göpfritz an der Wild, and Schwarzenau were dispatched to the scene of the accident. The five-year-old victim had to be flown to the hospital by emergency medical helicopter. The Red Cross confirmed the two fatalities to the “Krone.” According to ÖBB, a freight train struck the victims’ car. The train engineer was uninjured in the accident.

Car dragged under locomotive
The car was dragged along under the locomotive for a long time. It was completely wedged against the rail vehicle, which weighed several tons. A crisis intervention team was on site and provided support to the train driver. Recovering the bodies proved difficult for the firefighters, who had to deploy hydraulic rescue equipment. The victims could not be recovered from the completely destroyed wreckage until about two hours later, according to reports. 

There have been several crashes
The railroad crossing on the L75 near Allentsteig, where the two people were killed, has been the site of fatal collisions on several previous occasions. It is an unguarded crossing, secured with traffic lights, and is located near the Thaua stop. In 2015, a 49-year-old train driver lost his life there when his train collided with a semi-truck.

In 2019, there was a silver lining for a 54-year-old man from the Waidhofen an der Thaya district. This man also drove his car across the railroad crossing. However, he was incredibly lucky, as only the front of the car was struck. The driver was uninjured and was able to free himself from the car. He had driven onto the tracks despite the signal system’s red light.