• Germany edition
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)

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Your comments about this article:

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
16:33 January 2, 2010 by Heinrich der Zweite
Probably due to the sudden death of their New Year's Resolutions.
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!!!
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.
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.
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.
17:54 January 3, 2010 by lordkorner
@expat, Just how many Germans is that exactly?,as oppose to Americans English etc...
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