Car rolls through garden into swimming pool in Lower Austria

The man is believed to have underestimated the sloping driveway. Due to the gradient, the vehicle apparently began to move on its own and slid across the garden into the swimming pool.

Rescue and recovery operations

The car remained caught on the edge of the swimming pool and threatened to plunge into the water. The pool's cover broke, police said. Fortunately, no personal injuries have been reported based on current findings.

The emergency crews secured the car with a cable winch to prevent it from sliding further into the pool. Because the vehicle was an electric car, the responders first deactivated the drive using the special "E-Plug" device. The electric drive was then deactivated, and the car was recovered using a crane mounted on a swap-body vehicle, the fire department reported.

The Grafenwörth fire department supported their colleagues from Fels am Wagram in the recovery. Special equipment and a crane were also deployed. The recovery work took several hours because the vehicle had to be carefully lifted out of its precarious position without further damaging the pool.

Consequences for the driver

"Danach konnten die Feuerwehren wieder abrücken und sich in eigenen Pools von der Nachmittagshitze erholen," said Grafenwörth fire department spokesperson Manfred Ploiner with a chuckle. His light tone suggested that, despite the unusual circumstances, the operation went off relatively smoothly.

In addition to the property damage to the vehicle and the pool, damage to the garden was also reported by police. The exact amount of the property damage was initially unclear. However, police estimated that both the car and the pool cover were significantly damaged.

The 48-year-old was intoxicated, according to police. Following a positive breathalyzer test, the man not only temporarily lost his driver's license. A report will be filed with the district administrative authority. His driver's license was temporarily revoked, and he will be reported.

Property damage and investigations

The exact background of the incident is still being investigated by police. It is considered likely that, in addition to the influence of alcohol, the mechanical misjudgment of the driveway also played a role. Whether further legal consequences will follow for the driver depends on the outcome of the proceedings at the district administrative authority.

The fire department generally warns in such cases never to leave electric vehicles in an unsecured state on sloping terrain. Pushing a vehicle with an empty battery also carries risks, particularly when the terrain has a gradient. Special tools such as the "E-Plug" are now standard in operations involving electric vehicles in order to safely deactivate the drive.

Notes from the emergency services

The emergency crews emphasized that the recovery of the vehicle was made more difficult by the narrow access to the property. With the help of the swap-body vehicle and the cable winch, the car was ultimately stabilized and lifted out of the pool. According to the rescue services, no one was injured.

Local residents expressed surprise at the incident. In the quiet residential area of Fels am Wagram, such incidents rarely occur, according to neighbors. Police continued their investigations into the evening.

The driver, who wanted to push the e-car with an empty battery to a charging station, was uninjured. Thus, the unusual operation ended relatively smoothly for those involved, although property damage to the vehicle, pool, and garden is to be lamented.