Wrong-way driver A45 Florstadt: Two dead, children in life-threatening condition

The older man died at the scene from the consequences of his severe injuries. The 34-year-old woman who caused the accident later succumbed to her injuries in hospital. The occupants of her vehicle – her 39-year-old husband and their three children aged between ten and fifteen – were trapped in the car and had to be freed by fire service rescue teams.

Sequence of events during the night

The severely injured were transported to nearby hospitals by ambulance and, in some cases, by rescue helicopters. According to police, the three children were initially in critical condition. Police said on Sunday morning that it was a family celebration from which the family had been on their way home. A police spokesperson said: "Diese seien von einer 'Feierlichkeit' gekommen."

How the wrong-way driving could occur remains unclear according to police. A spokesperson stated: "Wie es dazu kommen konnte, gibt der Polizei Rätsel auf." At the entry ramp, sufficient warning signs are in place to prevent vehicles from entering incorrectly. "Eigentlich gibt es an der Auffahrt genügend Hinweise und Schilder, die ein falsches Auffahren verhindern. Doch anscheinend hat das alles nichts geholfen."

Investigations into the cause

The Gießen public prosecutor's office has commissioned an expert to reconstruct the precise sequence of events. Among other things, investigators are examining whether the woman had health problems, whether she may have wanted to turn the car around, or whether she entered in the wrong direction for some other reason. Findings on the cause of the accident were not yet available on Sunday.

The A45 motorway was fully closed in the area of the accident site for the duration of the rescue and recovery operations. A helicopter was also deployed to transport the injured quickly to specialist hospitals. Police warned road users to continue taking reports of wrong-way drivers from the region seriously.

Consequences for the families and witness appeal

Family members of the victims were cared for at the accident site by pastoral counselors, according to police. The authorities are asking witnesses who observed the incident or who can provide information about the woman's driving behavior prior to the wrong-way driving to contact the police.

The case evokes memories of earlier wrong-way driver accidents on Hessian motorways, in which several people also died. The Wetterau district and the neighboring counties have had to contend with serious traffic accidents repeatedly in recent years, the causes of which often could only be conclusively clarified after weeks or months.