Rescue helicopters flew twice on Friday to respond to classic car rally accidents along the Ennstal Classic route in the Amstetten district. Two serious crashes injured six people. Doctors released five of them from the hospital on Sunday.
On Friday afternoon, an accident occurred during an overtaking maneuver during the leg of the route from Lunz am See (Scheibbs district) to Steyr. A classic car traveling on the B31 toward Hollenstein (Amstetten district) likely failed to see the oncoming car, resulting in a head-on collision, according to the Hollenstein an der Ybbs fire department. Four people were involved in the accident and were flown to the hospital by emergency helicopter.
Another accident on diversion route
Due to cleanup efforts, the route had to be diverted. Less than an hour later, another participant caused an accident on the detour route. The St. Georgen Volunteer Fire Department reports that the driver was traveling on the L98 toward Opponitz (Amstetten district) when he lost control of his vehicle on a curve and ended up in a ditch.
The organizers believe that an oil spill likely caused one of the classic car rally accidents. Emergency services took the driver to the hospital with injuries. A rescue helicopter flew his passenger to the Amstetten State Hospital.
Participants largely well
According to the organizers, almost all of the affected people were able to leave the hospital by Sunday. Only one driver had to remain in the hospital for “safety reasons for observation,” they stated. They emphasized that participant driving errors — not excessive speed — caused the two classic car rally accidents. Despite the incidents, the classic car rally continued on Friday and concluded as scheduled on Saturday.
