In the morning, a tragedy occurs on Autobahn 40 near Bochum: a wrong-way driver crashes her car into two cars, then the vehicle is thrown into the oncoming lane. Two people die and a third driver is seriously injured.
After a collision between three cars after driving the wrong way on Autobahn 40 between Gelsenkirchen-Süd and Bochum-Wattenscheid, two people died. The 54-year-old wrong-way driver took off the morning after the collision with her car and landed in the oncoming lane, a police spokeswoman said.
Her car had previously hit two cars on the road in the direction of Dortmund, the WDR reported. A man from one of the two captured cars died, the other driver was seriously injured. It is not yet clear why the woman drove on the wrong side. A truck was damaged by debris, but the driver was not injured.
The A40 between Bochum and Essen had to be temporarily closed in both directions. According to the spokeswoman, the accident recording lasted until at least 10 a.m. According to the WDR traffic jam radar, a six-kilometer traffic jam formed in the direction of Essen by 8:20 a.m.
In the direction of Bochum, traffic was backed up at 8.20 a.m. for seven kilometers. Commuters had to allow at least 30 minutes more time in the morning. The blocking has now been lifted, as WDR reports. However, cleaning work would still be carried out.
In Germany there are always wrong-way trips, which often end tragically. Experts recommend taking a few tips into account so as not to become a wrong-way driver yourself: Drivers should therefore not be distracted, especially on freeway entrances, and pay close attention to the signs. The German police union has been calling for roadway claws to be installed for some time, which only damage the tires of wrong-way drivers.