Bad Sassendorf crash kills four young people, Digi Mart USA News (Bad Sassendorf, Germany): A car struck a tree directly beside the road near Bad Sassendorf in the Soest district of North Rhine-Westphalia. According to initial findings, the Audi driven by an 18-year-old was traveling at a speed far too high for the area.
The driver and three young passengers died in the vehicle.
Firefighters who have worked for many years said the accident presented a particular challenge. On the way to the scene, they learned that four people were trapped in the wreck, either seriously injured or already dead.
An emergency physician who happened to be on site confirmed that four people were inside and that four had likely died.
Axel Kipp of the Bad Sassendorf volunteer fire department said the emergency call reached the physician shortly before midnight, between Monday and Tuesday. Around 40 firefighters and a large police contingent were deployed.
Police spokesman Marco Baffa-Scinelli said investigators were still at an early stage, but based on the photos, the driver appeared to be going well above the 50 km/h limit that applies in the built-up area.
The crash happened a few meters from the village entrance sign in Weslarn. The country road between Ostinghausen and Weslarn has long been known as an accident route, with cars repeatedly striking roadside trees over past decades.
The speed limit is 70 km/h on the open road, 50 km/h in the village, and 30 km/h a few meters further on.
Police have identified the occupants: the 18-year-old driver from Dortmund, his 19-year-old front-seat passenger from Attendorn, and a 16-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl in the rear seat. Police and crisis counselors informed and supported the families.
Baffa-Scinelli described the situation as a horror scenario for the families.
Experts from the police arrived during the night to measure and document the scene. The road between Soest and Lippstadt-Eickelborn remained closed through Weslarn for several hours.
