Passau
After fatal truck accident: driver released, nine-year-old out of danger
A truck drove into a group of pedestrians in downtown Passau, injuring several people and killing a woman and a child.
© DPA
A boy loses his mother and sister in a tragic truck accident in Passau. The nine-year-old and another injured person are still in the hospital. The driver is now free.
The driver involved in the accident is now at large again. A police spokeswoman said on Saturday that the 63-year-old was being investigated for negligent homicide. However, there is no indication of an intentional offense and no reason for detention. That’s why he was released from police custody after his interrogation on Saturday.
Truck drives into crowd – police assume accident
The truck driver probably wanted to avoid a bus in downtown Passau – and drove onto the sidewalk into a crowd. Five people were injured, two of whom died. The 37-year-old woman died at the scene of the accident and her daughter succumbed to her injuries in the clinic. The 70-year-old, who is also in the clinic for treatment, was seriously injured. A 45-year-old woman was slightly injured and has since been released from the hospital.
The 63-year-old truck driver is no longer in custody police. According to the previous witness statements and the evaluation of videos, the previous findings about the accident have been confirmed, said the Lower Bavaria police headquarters. At this point in time, neither a technical defect nor a driving error can be ruled out. The police continued questioning witnesses on Saturday and are also calling for additional witnesses. At the time of the accident, a city bus was at the red light on Bahnhofstrasse. Passers-by and passengers on the bus who witnessed the incident should come forward.
There was no evidence of alcohol or drugs on the part of the truck driver. However, not all results have been evaluated yet, said the police spokeswoman. The police investigations with the Passau public prosecutor’s office continued. The outstanding result of the accident analysis report and the evaluation of the evidence are crucial for a final statement. The expert completed his on-site investigations on Friday.
The man drove his truck off the road on Bahnhofstrasse in downtown Passau around 9:50 a.m. on Friday morning and hit a group of people on the footpath before coming to a stop against a wall. “We are firmly assuming a traffic accident,” said a police spokesman immediately after the incident – thus countering speculation on social networks about an alleged terrorist attack.
Bavaria’s Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann also confirmed this: “So far there is no evidence of an assassination attempt or a politically motivated background.” The CSU politician expressed his condolences to the relatives.
Dismayed reactions after truck accident in Passau
The scene of the accident was cordoned off on Friday morning, and numerous police officers, firefighters, crisis intervention teams and emergency services employees were on site. Several rescue helicopters landed at the Schanzlbrücke, a multi-lane bridge in Passau, to fly the injured to clinics. A police helicopter was used to take general photos of the accident. The accident happened around 9:50 a.m., around four and a half hours later, around 2:20 p.m., the police lifted the traffic closures again.
Passau’s mayor Jürgen Dupper (SPD) was “deeply affected and shocked.” “In events like this, our entire sympathy goes out to the people affected and their relatives,” wrote the SPD politician. “This accident means the worst possible end to the year 2023 .”
Sources: Lower Bavaria Police HeadquartersDPA news agency