Brandenburg
More than 50 injured in coach accident on the A12
According to the police, a dangerous goods transporter had hit a truck stopping in front of him on the Autobahn. The driver of the dangerous goods transporter tried to swerve to the left and collided sideways with the coach. photo
© Hannes P. Albert/dpa
A serious accident involving a coach and two trucks occurs on the A12. Dozens of travelers were injured. Police and civil protection are on site with a large contingent.
According to the police, around 52 people were injured in a collision between a coach and a truck on Autobahn 12 in Brandenburg near Storkow (Oder-Spree district) on Tuesday, ten of them seriously. The majority of the injured were passengers on a Polish coach, said a police spokesman. A spokeswoman for the Oder-Spree district spoke of a critically injured person.
According to the Polish police, the injured are all Polish citizens. A spokesman for the responsible police station in Gorzow Wielkopolski told the German Press Agency in Warsaw that they were employees of a German company. He told the PAP that the crashed vehicle belonged to a company from the western Polish province of Lubusz. The passengers who boarded at different locations also came from this region. The company they work for is near Berlin. The Polish police have now completed their deployment on site.
From Poland towards Berlin
The bus drove from Poland towards Berlin, as the police spokesman reported. The passengers were mainly young people and adults. The officials did not name the destination of the coach. The exact number of travelers was also initially unclear.
According to the police, a dangerous goods transporter had hit a truck stopping in front of him on the Autobahn. The driver of the dangerous goods transporter tried to swerve to the left and collided sideways with the coach. The bus then crashed into the middle barrier. According to the police, the dangerous goods transporter was not loaded at the time of the accident.
According to a spokeswoman for the Oder-Spree district, around 95 emergency services were on site on Tuesday. According to the information, three rescue helicopters flew the injured to nearby hospitals. Tents were set up and food provided. The uninjured were therefore picked up by buses. The A12 was completely blocked at the accident site.
Brandenburg’s Prime Minister Dietmar Woidke (SPD) expressed his sympathy in the evening. “It was with great sadness that I received the news of today’s serious traffic accident near Storkow. My sympathy goes to the injured and their families,” he said. Interior Minister Michael Stübgen (CDU) thanked the police and rescue services for “their quick and professional action”. You will have to evaluate the accident thoroughly, “it is still too early for conclusions”.
Just a few weeks ago, a coach from Poland was involved in an accident on the A2 near Magdeburg. At that time, more than 30 people were injured. Police believe the bus driver fell asleep.