After the mass pile-up on Sunday on the Südautobahn (A2) near Laßnitzhöhe close to Graz, traffic flowed unhindered again on Monday. Almost no repairs were required; only the water protection system had to be specially cleaned, said an Asfinag spokesperson to APA. Thirty-three vehicles were involved in the pile-up. The cause was diesel spilled over a wide area from a ruptured truck tank. According to the police, 28 people were slightly injured, one 18-year-old severely injured.
A truck driver (43) from the Graz-Umgebung district had steered his semi-trailer truck on the A2 in the direction of Vienna around 5:30 p.m. At the Laßnitzhöhe highway exit, one of the truck’s fuel tanks burst for unknown reasons. The diesel fuel contained in it spread rapidly due to the truck’s speed and flowed over several lanes of the highway. This section of the highway is characterized by hanging curves.
Several cars following the truck skidded. As a result, collisions occurred involving a total of 33 vehicles.
Kilometer- and hour-long traffic jam
According to the Styrian state police directorate, 28 people were slightly injured and partially admitted to nearby hospitals. An 18-year-old from the Südoststeiermark district suffered severe injuries and was flown by the ÖAMTC rescue helicopter Christophorus 12 to LKH Graz. The highway had to be closed for several hours. Due to the massive traffic volume over the weekend, there was a kilometer-long traffic jam. At the request of the police, Asfinag called on drivers to bypass the area widely. Traffic was diverted via the Pyhrn Autobahn (A9) at the Graz West junction and routed via the Bruck Expressway (S35) and the Semmering Expressway (S6). By around 11:00 p.m., however, the first lane at the accident site could be passed again.
The vehicles that could no longer drive were removed from the highway by various towing companies. In addition to the surrounding fire brigades, several rescue vehicles and the emergency helicopter were deployed. The 72 firefighters from six brigades secured the accident site, absorbed the spilled diesel, and cleaned the three lanes together with Asfinag employees.
