Head-on collision on the B148 claims two lives and leaves three seriously injured

Both drivers succumbed to their injuries at the scene, as the police report further states. The accident occurred on Sunday afternoon, July 19, 2026, at approximately 4:55 p.m., in a blind right-hand curve in the locality of Elling (municipality of Weng im Innkreis, district of Braunau, Upper Austria).

In the Spaniard's vehicle were also his 52-year-old wife and the two children aged 14 and eleven. All three were severely injured and had to be airlifted by three helicopters to the surrounding hospitals in Ried, Passau, and Salzburg, as confirmed by police.

Emergency services and rescue operations

The fire departments of Weng im Innkreis, Mining, and St. Peter am Hart were alerted to the operation shortly after 5 p.m. In addition to the rescue personnel, several helicopters were deployed to transport the seriously injured occupants to specialized hospitals as quickly as possible.

While a police patrol was en route to the accident scene with blue lights and sirens, another traffic accident occurred on the approach. The emergency vehicle collided with a vehicle driven by a Slovak motorist that suddenly turned around in the traffic jam.

Secondary accident with police patrol

According to police, the vehicle suddenly turned around in the traffic jam, causing the collision with the patrol car. „Ein Fahrzeug, das sich im Rückstau befand und von einem Slowaken gelenkt wurde, wendete laut Polizei plötzlich. Dabei kam es zur Kollision mit dem Streifenwagen.

In this subsequent accident, all three people involved were injured. Thus, the entire accident series – the head-on collision on the B148 and the subsequent collision involving the police patrol – resulted in a total of two deaths and six injuries, including two seriously injured children.

Investigations into the cause of the accident

The exact cause of the accident on the B148 is the subject of ongoing police investigations. Officers are particularly examining why the head-on collision of the two vehicles was able to occur in the blind right-hand curve.

Regarding the course of the secondary accident involving the police patrol, investigators explained that the emergency vehicle was traveling with blue lights and sirens when the collision with the turning car occurred. The visibility conditions and the traffic situation in the jam are still being examined.

The B148 is a heavily used state road in Upper Austria that connects Altheim with Braunau am Inn. In the Elling area, where the accident occurred, the stretch is considered difficult to see through due to several curves.

Impact on traffic

Following the accident, the B148 in the Elling area was closed for the duration of the rescue and recovery operations. There were significant traffic disruptions, and a traffic jam formed in which the secondary accident subsequently occurred.

Police noted that all those injured in the secondary accident received medical care and were taken to hospitals. Details on the severity of the injuries of the three people involved in this accident were not initially available.

The fire departments of Weng im Innkreis, Mining, and St. Peter am Hart were deployed with several vehicles after the alarm. The Red Cross was also present at the accident site and coordinated the transport of the injured together with police.

As the police report indicates, the deceased are the 57-year-old Hungarian woman, who was traveling with her car on the B148 from Altheim toward Braunau, and the 56-year-old Spaniard, who was driving with his family in the opposite direction.

Condition of the seriously injured

The seriously injured from the main accident – the Spaniard's wife and the two children aged eleven and 14 – were airlifted by helicopter to the hospitals in Ried, Passau, and Salzburg with the most severe injuries. According to police, their condition is critical.

Overall, the accident series highlights the dangers of blind curves and the hazardous situations that arise when emergency vehicles are traveling with blue lights and sirens. Police announced further investigations to clarify the exact circumstances.

The relatives of the victims were notified by police. The identities of the deceased female and male drivers have not yet been officially released by the authorities, as the formal identification was still ongoing.

The accident series on Sunday afternoon on the B148 and in the subsequent traffic jam has caused dismay in the Innviertel region. Authorities are appealing to road users to exercise particular caution in blind curves and to watch out for emergency vehicles.

APA, 7/20/2026