Wrong-way driver killed in head-on crash in Wels, Austria
A 39-year-old man died after driving the wrong way on a main road in Wels, Austria, early on Sunday and colliding head-on with another car.
A 39-year-old man died early on Sunday after driving the wrong way on the B1 road in Wels, Austria, and crashing head-on into an oncoming car, police said.
The man, from the Grieskirchen district, was travelling in the wrong direction on the outbound carriageway of Linzer Straße, near house number 246, at around 2am when he hit a car driven by a 22-year-old man from Bosnia and Herzegovina, police said.
A third driver, a 44-year-old man from the Wels-Land district, could not brake in time and crashed into the two vehicles already involved, according to police.
The 39-year-old died of his injuries at the scene. The 22-year-old was taken to hospital with serious injuries, while the 44-year-old suffered only minor injuries, Austrian media reported. Police have not said how the wrong-way driver came to be travelling against traffic.
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What we know
- 2+ outlets · Kronen Zeitung, Kurier +2Disputed A 39-year-old man drove the wrong way on the B1 in Wels and died in a head-on crash in the early hours of Sunday.
- 2+ outlets · Kurier, Salzburger Nachrichten A 22-year-old driver from Bosnia and Herzegovina was seriously injured.
- 2+ outlets · Kurier, Salzburger Nachrichten A third driver, 44, suffered minor injuries after crashing into the two vehicles.
- 1 outlet · Kronen Zeitung Police have not yet established how the wrong-way driver entered the lane.
Not yet confirmed
- Unconfirmed How the wrong-way driver came to enter the oncoming carriageway.
How each fact is established: Verified checked by an ECTV editorOfficial stated by an official body2+ outlets reported independently by two or more news organisations1 outlet reported by a single news organisation so farUnconfirmed claimed or reportedHow we label facts
Figure history
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Why it matters for Europe
The crash shut part of the B1 through Wels overnight and drew in three separate vehicles, after a wrong-way driver collided head-on with oncoming traffic on a road used by commuters into the city.
Sources
Reported by 4 reports from 4 independent outlets in 1 countries.
- Kronen Zeitung: Unfalldrama in Wels - Geisterfahrer (39) bei Crash mit zwei Pkw getötet
- Kurier: Geisterfahrer-Unfall in Wels: Ein Toter und zwei Verletzte
- Die Presse: Ein Toter und zwei Verletzte bei Geisterfahrer-Unfall in Wels
- Salzburger Nachrichten: Geisterfahrer-Unfall in Wels: Ein Toter und zwei Verletzte
Source balance
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Intelligence file
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Confidence and impact scores, the full situation report and the event timeline.
Questions and answers
- How many people died in the Wels crash?
- One person, the 39-year-old wrong-way driver, died at the scene.
- How many vehicles were involved?
- Three cars were involved, after a third driver could not brake in time and hit the two vehicles from the initial collision.
- Where did the crash happen?
- On the B1 (Linzer Straße) in Wels, Austria, in the early hours of Sunday.
This article was written with AI assistance from 4 verified reports and checked under the ECTV editorial policy. Spotted an error? Request a correction.