Four people were seriously injured in a collision between two cars in Ennepetal (Ennepe-Ruhr district).
A 23-year-old and his co-driver of the same age crashed into an oncoming car while overtaking and their car went off the road, the police said on Saturday.
The driver is said to be the last of three cars to overtake at high speed on Friday evening.
Ennepetal - Due to the location of the tracks and testimony from witnesses, there is an initial suspicion, according to the police, that he may have been involved in an illegal race.
Because the 23-year-old and his passenger were trapped in the vehicle, they had to be rescued by the fire brigade.
The 29 and 44-year-old occupants of the oncoming car were also seriously injured, it said.
The federal highway 483 was temporarily closed in both directions, it said.
dpa