Horror crash on the A9: Commuters sit in traffic for hours!

Horror crash on the A9: Commuters sit in traffic for hours!

A serious traffic accident on the Pyhrn Autobahn A9 on Tuesday morning, shortly after 4 a.m., led to massive traffic delays and one fatality. The incident occurred when a Slovenian truck driver skidded his semi-trailer and crashed into the concrete barrier. A vehicle traveling towards Graz then collided with the displaced concrete elements, which subsequently involved a total of ten other vehicles in the accident. Automated emergency call systems, known as eCall, were activated during the incident.

Several people had to be transported to the Graz Regional Hospital with injuries. Emergency services on site were working on clearing the scene of the accident, which is expected to take a long time. The investigation into the exact cause of the accident has already begun and initial interviews have been carried out. Due to the accident, traffic flows are severely affected. Only one lane is passable in both directions. Drivers currently need around one and a half hours from Deutschfeistritz to Graz.

Massive traffic disruptions

The traffic disruptions are particularly severe in early morning traffic. In the southerly direction, traffic is backed up as far as Gratkorn-Süd, resulting in delays of up to 40 minutes. To the north, the traffic jam extends to Wildon, where the time lost amounts to over an hour. All alternative routes, including the A2 as well as the Graz city area and Triesterstrasse, are overloaded, which further aggravates the situation.

The day before, another serious accident occurred on the A9 in the Gratkorn Tunnel. At 12:20 p.m., a 24-year-old driver from Graz noticed that the loading area of ​​a truck in front of her was not properly closed. To prevent possible loss of cargo, she overtook the truck and stopped it in the tunnel. A 57-year-old truck driver from the Czech Republic was unable to react in time and drove into the stationary vehicle. The impact caused a chain reaction in which the truck in front was pushed against the car.

The Czech truck driver was trapped in his cab and had to be freed by other road users. He received first aid from a German doctor before the emergency doctor arrived. The seriously injured truck driver was taken to the LKH Graz, while the car driver and a 60-year-old truck driver from Graz suffered minor injuries. The closure of the Gratkorn Tunnel lasted from 12:23 p.m. to 6:10 p.m. and led to further traffic disruptions on the A9 and the diversion routes S35 and B67.

Accident statistics in the EU

Road accidents are a serious problem in Europe. Thousands of people lose their lives or are seriously injured every year. Between 2010 and 2020, the number of road deaths in the EU fell by 36 percent, but the figures remain alarming. There were 22,800 traffic deaths in 2019, while 4,000 fewer were recorded in 2020. The EU average is 42 road deaths per 1 million inhabitants, with Sweden having the safest roads with just 18 victims per million. In contrast, Romania reported the highest rate of 85 deaths per million in 2020, underscoring the urgency of measures to improve road safety.

In summary, both the tragic accident on the A9 and the longer-term statistics on traffic accidents in the EU highlight the need for more intensive safety measures and continuous prevention. Drivers should always drive carefully and foresight to avoid such tragic incidents.

For more information on current events, see the articles on Kosmo.at, MyDistrict.at and Europarl.eu be visited.