Toll in A2 motorway crashes near Bad Nenndorf revised down to 6

Police have revised the toll in Sunday's crashes on Germany's A2 motorway near Bad Nenndorf, west of Hanover, down to 6 people injured, two of them seriously, WELT reported, citing police, down from 9 reported earlier in the day. The lower, more detailed figure covers two separate collisions that shut both carriageways for several hours.

The first crash happened as an 83-year-old woman drove a vintage car onto the motorway at the Bad Nenndorf interchange on Sunday evening, police said. The car skidded on the wet road while accelerating and crossed every lane, colliding with two other vehicles; all three cars then hit the central barrier. The 83-year-old driver and her 86-year-old passenger were seriously injured, while the drivers of the other two cars suffered minor injuries. A rescue helicopter was sent to the scene, and police estimated the damage at around 240,000 euros because of the high value of the vintage car. The A2 was fully closed in the Berlin-bound direction for several hours as a result.

Shortly afterwards, a second collision happened on the opposite carriageway, police said. A 27-year-old driver braked hard because of traffic ahead; the car behind her swerved left to avoid hitting her, but a 23-year-old driver then crashed into her car. The 27-year-old and her passenger suffered minor injuries.

Both carriageways were affected by closures for several hours before the motorway reopened, WELT reported. The 6 people hurt are the combined total across both collisions, not 6 in each direction.