Germany: Eight die in mass pile-up and head-on collision

[Maybelater]

http://www.thelocal.de/national/20111119-38967.html

Eight people were killed in road accidents in North Rhine-Westphalia on Friday night - three in a mass pile-up on an Autobahn near Münster involving more than 50 vehicles, and five in a two-car collision near Aachen.

“It was a scene of devastation,” a police spokeswoman said of the pile-up which happened in thick fog.

A woman and two men were killed, while at least 35 people were injured, 14 seriously. Six children were also injured, the youngest of whom was just six months old, although the baby was only slightly hurt.

The pile-up happened at around 7:15 pm on the A31 between Heek and Gronau-Ochtrup, among traffic travelling towards Emden. Smashed cars and trucks covered the motorway for several hundred metres.

Rescue services from across the region were rushed to the site, with at least 100 police, fire fighters and medical personnel working through the vehicles to get everyone out and deliver first aid before the injured were taken to nearby hospitals.

A police spokesman said on Friday night it was too early to guess at whether the fog alone caused the accident or if people were also driving too fast.

Five more people were killed in the early hours of Saturday when two cars collided near Aachen on the B258 trunk road.

He said it was thought that the 24-year-old driver of one car lost control over his vehicle and swerved into oncoming traffic, hitting another car head-on.

The driver himself, a 19-year-old man and a 22-year-old woman were killed in his car, while a 20-year-old woman survived with severe injuries.

The 47-year-old driver and his 45-year-old female passenger of the oncoming car were killed, while a 32-year-old in their vehicle was seriously hurt.

Counsellors were called to the scene to help witnesses who were devastated by what they saw.

[calgarydub]

This is sort of weird because of how good 95% of the drivers are, but also because I could see how one fuck up could cause such a mess.

I spent 2 weeks driving around Germany and even a fender bender on the side of the road created MASSIVE delays and congestion like you would not believe because of all the small towns that use the highways to get to and from the cities, I cant even imagine how long it took for traffic to clear. Even the biggest highways in the most populated areas here cannot describe the traffic on some of these roads.

I was really surprised how few collisions I did see. 2 accidents (one in the city) and one pick up truck jackknifed with the attached trailer flipped over, after at least 40-50+ hours of highway driving. Not too bad considering the volume those roads see daily.

This is pretty bizarre though, and those types of roads kind of facilitate such a travesty because of how they are built and driven on (meaning large capacity, high speeds, and for the most part, aggressive drivers). Germany also shares a climate similar to Alberta, and BC in some regions, so I would be curious to see how some of those roads behave in winter seasons.

[chkolny541]

5 months in europe i saw 1 accident. And it involved a taxi running a red light getting t-boned by a tram hahaha

[max_boost]

J-hop would tell you that you are driving too fast for the conditions.

[chkolny541]

Originally posted by max_boost
J-hop would tell you that you are driving too fast for the conditions.

[Typical beyond]they were prolly driving on bald all seasons Get some winters [/Typical beyond]

[dirtsniffer]

Anyone notice it seems like babies strapped in properly can survive pretty horrific crashes. Rip to those that died. 2 people also died today between sparwood and crowsnest pass. Everyone drive safe on the highways

[Sky]

Originally posted by dirtsniffer
Anyone notice it seems like babies strapped in properly can survive pretty horrific crashes. Rip to those that died. 2 people also died today between sparwood and crowsnest pass. Everyone drive safe on the highways

Isn't that always the case.... I think babies with their lower mass would lower the severity of injury and impact? Soft bones and joints helps too I think. What a horrific scene.

[syritis]

Originally posted by Sky


Isn't that always the case.... I think babies with their lower mass would lower the severity of injury and impact? Soft bones and joints helps too I think. What a horrific scene.

and not tensing up reduces injuries, same reason drunks have a better chance of surviving.

drive safe out there.

[spikerS]

I credit the car seats more than anything. those are designed to be a cocoon for a infant, and it also has a 5pt harness distributing the load more evenly, and so much more padding.

[Mckenzie]

I saw a horrific crash on the autobahn in June. We saw what was left of a motorcyclist's leg sticking out of his boot, a peice of his arm and a white tarp over his body. The bike was mangled and it looked like he rear ended a car. The lineup of traffic was at least 10kms long...crazy.

I will say this though, that the drivers on the autobahn are pretty awake at the wheel, regardless of how fast they drive. People use their 4 ways to slow the traffic behind them down if there is congestion and people actually move out of the left lane after they pass!

[clem24]

Originally posted by spikers
I credit the car seats more than anything. those are designed to be a cocoon for a infant, and it also has a 5pt harness distributing the load more evenly, and so much more padding.

Rear facing + 5 point harness for sure... Keep your kid rear facing for as long as possible (i.e. they outgrow the rear facing specs instead of when they say it's safe to do so). The new guidelines call for at least until they are 2 I think. The difference is huge: