No reference to attack or car racing
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Car rams Brandenburg Gate – 26-year-old driver dies
A car crashed into a pillar of the Brandenburg Gate late Sunday evening. The driver was fatally injured. How the accident happened is still unclear. The Berlin landmark must first be scaffolded.
- The police are currently ruling out attacks, car races and suicide, the exact background is still unclear
- The driver who died was a 26-year-old Pole who lived in Berlin
- The Brandenburg Gate is to be scaffolded on Monday
- The construction work could take more than a month, statics should not be endangered
A car drove into a pillar of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin-Mitte late Sunday evening. The driver was fatally injured in the impact, police said on Monday.
According to the information, the 26-year-old drove “at high speed” at 11:30 p.m. from Unter den Linden towards the Berlin landmark. Witness statements should also indicate the high speed.
According to the police, the right front wheel of the Mercedes hit a curb on Pariser Platz. Then the car steered to the left and crashed into one of the pillars of the Brandenburg Gate. Photos show that the car was badly damaged. Black marks and minor chips were visible on the massive pillars.
No reference to suicide, attack or car racing
An ambulance happened to be nearby at the time of the collision. An emergency paramedic tried to administer first aid, but had to stop when the car began to smoke. The fire brigade, which arrived shortly afterwards, could only get the 26-year-old dead out of the car.
According to the police, the deceased is a Polish citizen who was registered in Berlin. It is said that his relatives are receiving pastoral care. It is not yet clear what caused the accident, but the police are still investigating. There should be no evidence of suicide, nor of an attack or illegal car racing. The autopsy of the dead should clarify whether there was a medical reason. According to current knowledge, the man is said to have been alone in the car.
Other people should not have been affected by the event. After the accident, Pariser Platz was closed until 5 a.m.
Berlin’s landmark probably partially disappears behind scaffolding
The Brandenburg Gate is also said to have been damaged in the accident and will be scaffolded on Monday. This was announced by a spokeswoman for Berliner Immobilienmanagement GmbH (BIM) to rbb. The company is responsible for state-owned real estate, including the Brandenburg Gate. Experts from BIM, including experts for monument protection, restorers and scaffolders, got an idea of the condition of the building in the morning.
According to the first impression, the statics of the Brandenburg Gate should not be endangered, but they will continue to be checked. However, the damage caused by the impact was not precisely defined. There are also oil stains on several pillars, and a bollard was also said to have been destroyed.
The work on the attraction could take a month and a half, and a lifting platform should also be used, it is said.
Broadcast: rbb24, January 16, 2023, 1:00 p.m