The police are investigating after a strange accident in which a motorist drove on a closed section of the A44 and fell off a demolished bridge. Investigators suspect that someone removed barriers and detour signs in the direction of the replacement bridge, which traffic is actually being directed over during construction work. Despite the spectacular accident on Monday morning near Würselen near Aachen, the 59-year-old driver was only slightly injured, the police said.
“He was really lucky. It could have ended very differently,” said a police spokesman. The man was traveling fast when he drove over the edge. The car flew a good 25 meters, overturned in the air and landed on the roof a good five meters lower. After the accident, the man was able to get out himself.
The bridge at the Broichweiden junction was demolished in July 2022 as part of the six-lane expansion of the A44 in the area. She towered over a country road. During the construction work, traffic will be routed over two temporary bridges to the left and right of the dismantled bridge. The traffic routing had been like this for a long time at the time of the accident, according to a spokesman for the Rhineland branch of Autobahn GmbH, it was last changed at the beginning of February.
It is suspected that someone willfully removed the barriers, said the police spokesman. The background is still unclear, it is determined in all directions. There is no evidence of a suspect yet. The police are looking for witnesses who saw something suspicious between Sunday afternoon – according to the police, someone from the construction site was still there at the time – and the accident on Monday morning at just before 6 a.m. “It doesn’t necessarily have to be on site,” said the police spokesman. “Anyone who has seen someone who was out with blocking material or dropped material on the side of the road, please get in touch.”
