Photo: DPA

Man tries to kill wife and himself in motorway crash

Published: 2 Jan 10 15:14 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/society/20100102-24315.html

A man deliberately caused an accident while driving along a motorway in an attempt to kill his wife and himself on New Year's Day. Only extremely lucky circumstances meant they both walked away unharmed, police said.

The 35-year-old man intentionally turned his car into the crash barrier of the A8 motorway in the state of Baden-Württemberg during a row with his 31-year-old wife on Friday morning.

According to a police statement, the couple, who lived separately, went to a New Year's party in a disco in the town of Pforzheim together. They left the disco early in the morning to drive home.

A row ensued in the car, during which the man is reported to have hit his wife in the face, and then asked her if she wanted to die. Before she could answer, he apparently steered the car abruptly into the crash barrier, which it slid along for over a hundred metres before coming to a stop.

"It is a miracle that neither of them were injured," said state prosecutor Christoph Reichert.

The man denies causing the accident deliberately and that an argument took place, but the police has opened an attempted homicide investigation.

DDP/The Local (news@thelocal.de)

What do you think? Leave your comment below.

Fark It! Digg This  Share everywhere
Send to a friend Printable version Twitter This

Your comments about this article:

#1
15:57 January 2, 2010 by Frenemy
...ladies, this should be a lesson to you: don't drunkenly confess to your husband about that affair you've been having with the pool-boy whilst traveling at 130kph on the A8 ;-) lol
Report abuse »
#2
16:13 January 2, 2010 by cinzia
I came across a motorist with a death wish yesterday, too. On a major interstate in Minneapolis, at 8:30 PM, a car was just sitting, motionless, in a middle lane (of 8) with people in it and its lights off.

I nearly rear-ended it, and then was nearly rear-ended myself.
Report abuse »
#3
16:33 January 2, 2010 by Heinrich der Zweite
Probably due to the sudden death of their New Year's Resolutions.
Report abuse »
#4
17:32 January 2, 2010 by robinson100
It´s sad but true that Christmas and New Year are the "busiest" times for people to take their own lives.

Let´s hope that nobody we know will be amongst them this season............
Report abuse »
#5
18:48 January 2, 2010 by The-ex-pat
In was on the A2 today, driving snow, white lanes. The number of people with a death wish was incredible. However one really took the biscuit. A bus, full of passenger in the outside lane of a three lane Autobahn barrelling along as if it was a summer day. No wonder so many Germans die in bus accidents!!!
Report abuse »
#6
19:21 January 2, 2010 by Pas
A little late on that wish I'm afraid...
Report abuse »
#7
20:34 January 2, 2010 by Simon_Kellett
I think the "miracle" statement is an exaggeration: it was a single car accident, the car swerved into the crash barrier which did *exactly* what it was supposed to do by deflecting the back onto the carriageway.
Report abuse »
#8
21:36 January 2, 2010 by Logic Guy
Well, this is just another example of what happens when someone fails control their anger. If humans were to someday realize that emotions are a paradox, then we could have a really cool world.

Like emotions, hurricanes, sunamais and earth quakes are natural too. And look at how much destrcution they cause.

Obviously natuaral things aren't necessarily good.
Report abuse »
#9
05:00 January 3, 2010 by Bushdiver
It's too bad that atleast the driver didn't kill himself. This idiot could have killed quite a few innocent people as well. I hope the cops pull his license permanately.
Report abuse »
#10
17:54 January 3, 2010 by lordkorner
@expat, Just how many Germans is that exactly?,as oppose to Americans English etc...
Report abuse »
ADD YOUR COMMENT   (YOU MUST LOG IN OR REGISTER TO MAKE A COMMENT)
For comment quoting and other advanced formatting features,
try posting via this article's discussion forum page instead.
Today's headlines
What to do? Wulff and Merkel. Photo: DPA

Support for Sarrazin puts politicians in spin

Nearly a fifth of Germans would vote for a political protest party headed by Thilo Sarrazin, a poll revealed on Sunday, as mainstream politicians argue about how best to react to his statements on Muslims, immigration and Jews. READ (9 COMMENTS) »

Photo: DPA

Silver coins testify to ancient global trade reaching northern Germany

Archaeologists have unearthed silver artefacts in a northern German field which show that global trade was reaching even the North Seas coast more than 1,200 years ago. READ (2 COMMENTS) »

Ballack and Löw. Photo: DPA

Discussion over Ballack's place in national team intensifies

Speculation over the future of injured national football team captain Michael Ballack intensified over the weekend after the side managed to win its first match in the Euro 2012 qualification campaign without him. READ »

Photo: DPA

Neo-Nazi rally provokes outcry in Dortmund

At least 160 people were arrested or held by police in Dortmund on Saturday as up to 15,000 people tried to block a neo-Nazi rally in the city to mark the anniversary of the start of the Second World War. READ »

Photo: DPA

Merkel calls nuclear energy summit to decide course of action

Battered from all sides by environmentalists, lobbyists and bickering ministers, German Chancellor Angela Merkel was set to host a nuclear energy summit on Sunday - an issue set to dominate politics in the coming months. READ »

Photo: DPA

Hamburg street festival ends in rioting - again

Yet another street festival in central Hamburg ended in fighting between hundreds of rioters and more than 2,300 police on Saturday evening. READ (2 COMMENTS) »

Photo: DPA

SPD vows to fight Greens if challenged for Berlin mayorship

The Social Democratic Party (SPD) has vowed to fight the Greens should they challenge Klaus Wowereit for the office of Berlin mayor in the election scheduled for next autumn. READ (1 COMMENT) »

Photo: DPA

Drive for Afghan police training mission wanes

The willingness of German states to send policemen to Afghanistan to train locals is dropping, with Brandenburg the first to refuse to send any more people, according to a report in Der Spiegel magazine on Saturday. READ (2 COMMENTS) »

More Society
More popular articles »
Highlights
Photo: DPA
LIFESTYLE »
Motherhood in the Fatherland: In the fourth instalment of our series on the cultural quirks of having a baby in Germany, Sabine Devins explores superstitions about behaviours said to cause rosy cheeks, birthmarks, and even blindness.
Photo: Universal Pictures
LIFESTYLE »
The Local's English-language movie listings for Germany
Photo: DPA
OPINION »
Inflammatory comments on Muslims and race by Bundesbank board member Thilo Sarrazin have caused widespread outrage. The Local’s media roundup explores the repercussions.
Photo: DPA
OPINION »
The atomic energy industry is pushing to delay Germany’s phase-out of nuclear power. But Marcus Gatzke from ZEIT ONLINE warns doing so could hurt the country’s switch to renewable energy – and consumers’ pocketbooks.
Photo: DPA
SPONSORED ARTICLE
Beyond Oktoberfest: A guide to German beer and wine festivals

See all ads | Join the Marketplace

Sponsored Links
Jobs in Germany, in English

712 jobs available
437 new jobs this week
0 new jobs today

ALL JOBS »

Latest news from The Local in Sweden
Blog
Essentials

Dating
Looking for your own blonde bombshell? Or is the strong, silent type more your style? Find a German sweetheart here.

Weather
"After clouds comes clear weather," say the Germans. But what about after that? Find out in The Local's weather section.

Blog
German stuff that's distracting us today.

Noticeboard
Whether you want to buy, sell, hire, announce or promote something, here's the place to do it - completely free of charge.

Discuss
Debate the news, ask for advice, make friends - or just let off steam.

Search News


Register

Register now for:
> Free use of noticeboard
> Special discounts
> Weekly news roundup
> Unlimited use of discuss

REGISTER FOR FREE »

News from the Goethe-Institut
News from Young Germany
News from DeutschlandOnline
Noticeboard
SHOW ALL NOTICES »
Toytown Germany
Germany's English-speaking crowd
Toytown Germany
FULL INDEX »
Flat rate internet + free calls to USA, UK, Canada and more
Surf‘n’Talk service from TKS offers a powerful combination of high-speed Internet connectivity along with an around-the-clock flat for calls to your “home country”. Find out more at the TKS website.
INFO > www.tkscable.com

The Local Europe GmbH
Schwedter Strasse 227
10435 Berlin
Germany