An 18-year-old man is in life-threatening condition after crashing into a city bus during a police chase early Saturday morning in Vienna. Officers had noticed the young driver smoking a joint while behind the wheel at Gaudenzdorfer Gürtel. When signaled to stop, he sped off, ignoring red lights and driving the wrong way down one-way streets, according to police spokesperson Philipp Haßlinger.
The chase ended around 5:00 a.m. in the district of Favoriten, where the car collided head-on with a bus at the intersection of Davidgasse and Neilreichgasse. The driver was trapped inside the vehicle and had to be freed by the fire brigade. Emergency responders reported the young man sustained a severe polytrauma and was taken to the hospital in critical condition. He never held a driver’s license, police said.
Teen Passenger and Bus Driver Sustain Minor Injuries
A 15-year-old girl riding in the car suffered minor injuries, as did the 44-year-old bus driver, who was operating an empty vehicle on a non-passenger trip at the time of the crash.
Dangerous Driving Through Red Lights and One-Way Streets
According to police, the driver repeatedly ignored orders to stop. He accelerated down Triester Straße at high speed, ran multiple red lights, and drove against traffic flow on one-way streets. The situation escalated into a high-risk pursuit that ended in a serious collision.
