Head-on crash B320 Weißenbach: 7 injured, family involved

Emergency services and rescue measures

The B320 is an important connecting road in Upper Styria and runs through the district of Liezen. On the day of the accident, the route had to be closed in the area of the accident site for the duration of the rescue and recovery operations. Traffic was diverted locally.

Initial investigations into the cause of the accident have been launched. According to the police, it is being examined whether an overtaking manoeuvre, a health problem at the wheel or inappropriate speed could have triggered the head-on collision. Experts are to reconstruct the exact sequence of events.

Investigations into the cause of the accident

As the responsible district police commander explained to OE24, the investigations also extended to the question of why one of the vehicles involved ended up on the opposite lane. The officers secured evidence at the scene of the accident and interviewed first witnesses. The driver of the car that caused the accident is reportedly from Slovakia.

The identities and nationalities of all those involved have not been fully released to date. The police asked that speculation be avoided and announced that further details would be published once the investigations were completed. There was also initially no more detailed information on the amount of property damage.

B320 as an accident hotspot

The region around Liezen has repeatedly been the scene of serious traffic accidents on the B320 in recent years. The route is considered heavily used by commuters and travellers, which increases the risk of serious collisions. Traffic safety experts point in this context to the importance of appropriate speed and sufficient following distance.

The accident triggered dismay in the region. Residents and passers-by who had rushed to the scene of the accident as first-aiders were interviewed by the police and given psychological support. The Styrian Red Cross set up a contact point for relatives of the injured in order to be able to provide unbureaucratic information on the state of health of the patients.

The clean-up work at the scene of the accident lasted several hours. It was not until late in the evening that the B320 could be reopened to traffic. The responsible district authority announced a review of whether additional traffic safety measures are necessary on the affected section of the route.