Steel weighing 14 tons was loaded by the truck. In the truest sense of the word, hard work for the helpers. Photo: nef nef ©
A spectacular accident occurred on Monday morning on the Weichs-Indersdorf municipal road, in which a 40-tonne semi-trailer truck overturned. Two cars drove by without helping, according to an eyewitness.
Indersdorf/Weichs - The truck with a Turkish license plate was traveling from Weichs not far from the Cyclo company at around 6 a.m. when it hit the banquet for an unknown reason and overturned (we reported). At that time, Michael Kottermeier and Daniel Lachner were standing in the cyclo parking lot, facing the road in the direction of Weichs. "We heard a bang, that was probably the load. Then the truck slowly overturned," reports Kottermeier.
The two didn't hesitate for a second, jumped into the car and drove off. "On the way, we saw that two cars simply drove past the scene of the accident," Kottermeier reports. At least one of the two had to see how the truck had overturned, and it was also clear to the other that the accident had just occurred. "The lights of the truck were on, the turn signals were on."
Kottermeier and Lachner stopped at the level of the driver's cab and climbed up. "We opened the door, shook his hand, and pulled him out the door." They also helped him climb down from the tilted driver's cab. Fortunately, the driver was only slightly injured.
"I think it's a shame that the cars drove past it," says Kottermeier. For him, this is completely incomprehensible. "It could also have been that the truck driver suffered a health emergency, a stroke or something, and therefore went off the road."
Christian Olschowsky, head of the traffic department at the police, explains that failure to provide assistance is a criminal offense: "Anyone who drives past the scene of an accident - regardless of whether a cyclist has fallen or in an accident on the highway - without providing assistance is liable to prosecution." He recommends using "common sense": when you get to the scene of an accident, you stop, see if anyone is injured, give first aid, dial 110."
Fortunately, the accident on Monday morning ended lightly for the truck driver. Michael Kottermeier and his colleague dialed the emergency number after helping the man out of the cab.
The fire brigades from Weichs and Vierkirchen took the first measures to ensure traffic safety and secured the cargo papers. The semi-trailer was loaded with 14 tonnes of steel parts, which had to be relocated before the vehicle could be recovered. The THW Dachau supported the towing service with a loading crane. The towing company, who arrived with a salvage vehicle and two truck-mounted cranes, estimates the damage to the semi-trailer at 50,000 to 80,000 euros. The road was closed until the afternoon due to the salvage work.
HEINZ NEFZGER