"Slightly intoxicated"

Truck Crashes Into Hair Salon: Woman Killed!

The truck crashed into the hair salon. The owner of the business did not survive the accident.(Bild: Jürgen Fuchs)

One dead and three injured, some seriously—that is the tragic toll after a truck crashed into a hair salon in Eastern Styria on Friday morning. According to police, the cause was likely a sudden fainting spell suffered by the truck driver.

Due to the medical emergency, the heavy vehicle—loaded with gravel—veered off the road around 10:30 a.m. in St. Johann in der Haide, smashed through the wall of the building housing the hair salon, and came to a stop at a right angle.

According to police, the professional truck driver, a 62-year-old man from the Hartberg-Fürstenfeld district, was slightly intoxicated. He reported having suddenly experienced circulatory problems.

The fatality was a 60-year-old woman who had been inside the building. As Roman Becker, commander of the Unterlungitz Volunteer Fire Department, confirmed to the “Krone,” she was the owner of the salon.

Two other women (aged 52 and 58) were seriously injured. According to police spokesperson Fritz Grundnig, they were an employee and a customer of the salon. The truck driver also sustained injuries. Among other emergency responders, two rescue helicopters were deployed.

Second Incident at This Location
The community is in a state of deep shock on Friday afternoon. “This is a very, very tragic accident. We are all very sad,” Mayor Günter Müller told the “Krone” in a subdued voice. The 60-year-old owner of the business was also a town council member: “She was well integrated and said just last week at a celebration that you have to celebrate while you still can.” 

In the town of St. Johann in der Haide, both the end-of-school-year celebration and a fire department event were canceled on Friday due to the tragic incident. “The emergency response worked wonderfully. The fire departments arrived quickly and did their best, but they, too, were deeply affected,” Müller emphasizes, noting that this isn’t the first time an accident has occurred at this location: “It’s not an unusual spot.”