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A 60-year-old German vacationer got lost in the Zillertal in Tyrol. When he tried to avoid a rockfall, he fell 30 meters.
Mayrhofen – Spectacular accident in the rear Zillertal (Tyrol) in Austria: A 60-year-old German holidaymaker from the Bautzen district (Saxony) got lost on a dirt road on Saturday (April 6th) and was unable to continue due to a rock fall. His evasive maneuver ends with his car falling 30 meters into a school.
The road was suddenly blocked by a rock fall
At around 5:10 p.m., the 60-year-old drove his car onto the “old country road” between the towns of Roßhag and Breitlahner in Ginzling near Mayrhofen. This is actually a forest path that is closed to unauthorized persons and is only gravel and leads through the Zemm gorge. Because of the melting snow it is currently a raging mountain stream.
The Saxon had gone skiing in the Zillertal and spent the night with his Caddy on a parking space in the back of the Zemmtal. It is reported on site that the holidaymaker may have been guided on the wrong route by his navigation system.
In the past few days, a rock fall had occurred along the gravel path: Huge chunks lay in the middle of the path, which is why the 60-year-old was no longer able to continue. The man tried to turn around. “In the course of his turning maneuver, he went over the gravel path and fell his car about 30 meters into the Zemmschlucht,” the police report says. Further: “As a result of the impact, the driver was thrown out of the vehicle and remained lying about ten meters above the car lying in the stream bed.” The 60-year-old was seriously injured in the fall.
Drivers made an emergency call with a smartwatch – but the rescuers couldn't find him at first
The driver was still able to make the emergency call using his smartwatch. However, it took rescuers more than half an hour to find him as he lay in the ravine outside the car. After police discovered him, officers administered first aid until emergency services arrived. Finally, the Caddy driver was rescued by the emergency helicopter using a rope and taken to the Innsbruck State Hospital. The crashed vehicle was recovered from the stream bed by the Mayrhofen Volunteer Fire Department.
Rockfalls have repeatedly blocked Alpine roads in recent weeks. Recently, three cars were hit by large rocks from a rock fall on the Adriatic Motorway. Violent storms and avalanche chaos are raging in the Alps. Near Merano, rocks fell onto important thoroughfares in two places. In addition, the Adriatic route over the Plöcken Pass is closed due to a massive rock fall.
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