Young driver swerves to avoid a deer in Lower Austria and crashes into property fence

Course of the Accident

While the driver and his 17-year-old front passenger from the same district reportedly escaped the accident uninjured, the remaining passengers were trapped in the rear of the car. "Die auf der Rücksitzbank befindlichen Personen mussten von der Feuerwehr aus dem Heck befreit werden," the police described the operation.

According to police, three other youths aged 17 and 19 from the district of Gänserndorf as well as from the Vienna municipal districts 14 and 19 were sitting on the rear bench seat. This meant a total of five young people were in the vehicle.

After initial treatment by the emergency services, the injured were transported to surrounding hospitals. A 17-year-old from Vienna was admitted to the Landesklinikum Mistelbach, as police confirmed. A 19-year-old from the district of Gänserndorf was taken to the Klinik Donaustadt in Vienna.

Treatment of the Injured

Another 17-year-old was flown by the "Christophorus 2" rescue helicopter to the Landesklinikum St. Pölten. The rescue helicopter was also involved in the nighttime operation, as the incident reports show.

The fire department had to be called in to free the trapped occupants from the rear area of the vehicle. The recovery of the wrecked car and the securing of the accident site continued into the early morning hours.

Investigations and Consequences

The exact severity of the injuries of the three young occupants was not initially specified in detail by police. There was also no information available at first on the amount of property damage to the vehicle and the property fence.

The deer did not survive the collision according to the available information. How it got onto the federal highway is the subject of further investigations by the responsible police department.

The B49 connects Marchegg with other towns in the district of Gänserndorf an der March. At the time of the accident, it was dark, which increases the risk of wildlife crossings and associated evasive maneuvers. Police pointed out in this context the particular danger of wildlife crossings in the early morning hours.

Wildlife Crossings as a Hazard

The accident occurred in the area of responsibility of the police inspection, which also took over the further investigations. According to initial findings, alcohol or other intoxicating substances are not believed to have played a role, according to investigators.

The front passenger and driver told police in agreement that they had suddenly seen the animal on the road. The driver had instinctively wanted to countersteer to the left to prevent a head-on collision with the wild animal.

After the recovery of the vehicle and the treatment of the injured, the B49 was reopened to traffic in the early morning hours. Witnesses to the incident were asked to contact the police.

Appeal to Witnesses

For the relatives of the injured, police set up a contact point at the local station. The Red Cross was on the scene with several ambulances and emergency doctors, according to its own statements.

Overall, the incident illustrates the risks of nighttime driving on country roads in wildlife crossing areas. Particularly in the summer months, the number of wildlife accidents increases significantly across Austria, as the statistics show.