Hailstorms on the highway – cars crash into each other, several injured

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Accident on the A26: fire brigade on duty

Photo: Police Inspectorate Stade

During a hailstorm on Autobahn 26 between Dollern and Stade in Lower Saxony, five vehicles collided late Thursday afternoon.

A driver had previously lost control of her car and crashed into the guardrail on the slippery road, the police said.

Some of the vehicles were badly damaged, according to the information.

A driver was trapped in a car and had to be freed by the fire department.

A woman was seriously injured, four other car occupants slightly.

A short time later, a car on the opposite lane about 500 meters before the Dollern exit skidded and crashed into the guardrail.

He was unharmed, it said.

Witnesses described that the hailstorm had several centimeters of ice and snow on the road within a few minutes.

The Autobahn was still fully closed in the direction of Stade in the evening.

Traffic was diverted via Bundesstraße 73.

The property damage caused by the accidents is estimated at several tens of thousands of euros.

wit/dpa