Bielefeld (dpa / lnw) – A truck caught fire on Autobahn 2 near Bielefeld early Friday morning. In the direction of Hanover at the level of the Lipperland-Süd service area, only one lane was passable in the morning, according to the police. According to the information, traffic from Bielefeld-Ost was backed up around 8.30 a.m. over a length of around four kilometers.
The 58-year-old driver of the truck apparently wanted to leave the motorway at the service area, a police spokesman said. For reasons that are still unclear, he went off the road and collided with a barrier. His vehicle then caught fire. A 75-year-old driver who saw this stopped immediately and pulled the unconscious truck driver out of his cab. The 58-year-old was now conscious again and was taken to the hospital with serious injuries, the spokesman said.
The property damage is estimated by the police at around 100,000 euros. Since the truck’s tank was torn open in the accident and diesel was distributed on the road, the rescue and clean-up work should last until the morning. According to initial findings, a footbridge near the accident site was not damaged.
