B85 collision near Schwandorf, Germany leaves elderly woman in life-threatening condition, Digi Mart USA News (Schwandorf, Bavaria, Germany): A woman is in life-threatening condition following an accident on Monday midday on the B85 between Schwandorf and Wackersdorf in Germany’s Bavaria state. The collision involved two vehicles at the Schwandorf-Mitte motorway junction, and police believe a failed left-turn maneuver triggered the crash.
The Integrated Control Center Upper Palatinate North raised the alarm at about 12:30 p.m. Because police assumed at least one person might be trapped in one of the vehicles, a large rescue force was dispatched, including several fire brigades, the rescue helicopter “Christoph Regensburg,” three ambulances and an emergency physician.
Rescue crews were already familiar with the location, where serious accidents occur regularly despite a 70 km/h speed limit, often following the same pattern.
According to initial police findings from the Schwandorf inspection office, an 84-year-old VW driver from the northern district of Schwandorf turned left and overlooked oncoming traffic with right of way, forcing a collision with a van driven by a 74-year-old man from the Schwandorf area. The impact was especially severe for an 85-year-old woman seated in the front passenger seat of the VW, where the van struck near her door.
Police said she suffered life-threatening injuries and was flown by the helicopter crew to a hospital for further treatment.
The two drivers and a 79-year-old woman who was a rear passenger in the VW were also taken to hospital with moderate injuries. While the rescue helicopter was operating, the B85 was closed in both directions at the crash site, and traffic disruptions continued after the helicopter departed.
At the request of the public prosecutor’s office, an expert inspected the scene, and both vehicles, which likely suffered total economic write-offs, had to be towed away.
Around 30 members of the fire brigades from Alberndorf, Wackersdorf, Schwandorf and Kronstetten assisted police and the rescue service, providing first aid to the four injured people and directing traffic. The operation was led by Josef Pürzer, commander of the Alberndorf volunteer fire brigade, with city fire chief Roland Krettner and rescue service operations leader Marco Sperl also on site.
A trainee emergency medical technician who acted immediately to care for the injured was specifically noted by Sperl as a first responder.
