Photo: DPA

Dozens injured in 259-car autobahn pileup

Published: 20 Jul 09 10:00 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/national/20090720-20701.html

Dozens of people were injured in a pileup involving 259 cars on the A2 motorway in the state of Lower Saxony late on Sunday, police reported. Ten of the injured are in critical condition.

Police from Braunschweig, near where the accidents occurred, said it was the largest series of collisions ever seen in the area. In total, 66 people were injured when several drivers lost control of their vehicles due to heavy rain. The first collision – which began a two-hour-long series of resulting accidents on a 30-kilometre stretch of road – was reported near Hämelerwald towards Hannover.

Many drivers were driving too quickly and closely for the weather conditions, police said. The low-lying sun also hindered vision, a Braunschweig state patrol spokesperson said.

The A2 motorway was closed for clean up at several locations, causing traffic jams several kilometres long as clean up crews worked into the morning. Some 340 rescue workers were involved in the efforts.

“We have to put together all of the data on the injured people and towed cars. This will take until midday at least,” an investigator said.

Authorities estimate the costs of the pile up will be at least €1.5 million

DPA/The Local (news@thelocal.de)

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#1
16:52 July 20, 2009 by hermannyorks
And from BBC News: German pile-up involves 259 cars
At least 66 people have been injured in a mass pile-up involving 259 cars on a motorway in north Germany, police say.

Ten people are said t…
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#2
16:57 July 20, 2009 by Steven192
Wouldn't want to be tail-end on that one. Imagine the bill

I think I drove through the same storm a bit earlier on on the A44 by Soest. Water on the road was up to the wheel hubs in places but for once there were sensible people on the road and everyone slowed down to a crawl until past the deep bits.
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#3
16:59 July 20, 2009 by m23
whoa .. this is my nightmare. loved ones in a car accident.
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#4
18:57 July 20, 2009 by Allershausen
I drove from Holland to Munich yesterday and saw three separate incidents where cars had obviously spun on the autobahn and collected the barriers, it was hard to see how they'd managed it but I can only assume that they had been going too fast in the sudden downpours that happened all day and just lost it.
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#5
23:36 July 20, 2009 by MonksTown
Darwin lässt grüssen.
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#6
11:43 July 21, 2009 by veronicavonn
These sudden storms, with very heavy rain fall, have been going on for a few weeks.

I was driving to Ingolstadt two weeks ago for one of my softball games and ended up stuck in traffic due to the heavy rain and a recent accident. A car had plowed into the back of another car during the rain fall. The car that caused the accident, apparently, had blown up and the entire car was black. Firemen were on scene and it appeared everyone was either OK or had already been transported to the nearest hospital..
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#7
11:50 July 21, 2009 by eurovol
Darwin lässt grüssen.
Actually no one died and it being Sunday (no trucks allowed) is probably why there wasn't a bloodbath on the road.
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#8
12:24 July 21, 2009 by mj davey
I never cease to be dumbfounded when on the Autobahn doing 150+ in driving rain, *I* am the slow one... I do slow down... maybe drop to 145 (ok, 140) but always keep a fair distance from the cars ahead. But at night, light reflects off the water and with no catzeyes, keeping in lane is tricky... Wether from skill or pure-brass-nut-driving not yet had a problem (those pesky flashy things annoy me tho... nice of them to *try* and take my picture now and again).

Let's just hope the H&SE don't try and enforce speed restrictions. There is a certain need for Darwin to exist...
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#9
13:17 July 21, 2009 by sarabyrd
It seems that the setting sun suddenly appeared from behind the rain clouds and its reflection from the spray caused the visibilty to sink from 500 m (Is 80 kph safe, considering? That's what the speed limit was at the time.) to zero. Instinctively, you brake and the guy behind you who is too fast and too close is up your ass without the benefit of lube.
Ein Fahrer, der unfallfrei nach Hause kam, berichtet, dass gegen 19 Uhr die genau in Fahrtrichtung untergehende Sonne plötzlich hinter einer dunklen …
The speed limit is not so much to prevent skids, etc.; it's meant to decrease the height and length of the spray of the water being displaced by your tires.
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#10
20:49 July 21, 2009 by handhat
I never cease to be dumbfounded when on the Autobahn doing 150+ in driving rain, *I* am the slow one... I do slow down... maybe drop to 145 (ok, 140) …
You Sir, are an idiot.
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#11
12:43 July 22, 2009 by exquitius
got caught by a shower on the A9 coming back from Berlin at the same time as the accident on the A2.

I never saw anything like it. You could hardly see 10 metres in front of you. I was doing 60 to 80 and even at that I want sure if I wasnt going too fast considering the conditions.

And still there was idiots piling on at a rate of knots.
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#12
17:01 July 30, 2009 by moritz
One thing is for sure, the repair shops are going to be busy!!!
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