Black ice: one death, 24 accidents, motorways cut, “road wrecks”… Chaotic morning on the roads of Eastern France

A completely chaotic morning on the roads of Eastern France. Bas-Rhin firefighters counted 24 traffic accidents between 6 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. this Wednesday, January 15, according to a press release received in the middle of the day, which reported one death and 18 injuries, including one serious.

Messy accidents

The black ice present in many departments of eastern France on Wednesday January 15 sowed chaos. No less than 24 accidents were recorded by the authorities, including 4 involving extrication, reports Latest News from Alsace. On the A352 motorway, in Moslheim, an accident involving several vehicles left five people injured in relative emergency. On the A352, an accident, which would involve 46 cars and two heavy goods vehicles, also blocked the road, writes France 3.

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Fatal collision, one person in absolute emergency

A collision between a tractor and a car on departmental road 207 left one person dead, the driver of the private vehicle, in the town of Bischoffsheim. The car slipped on a patch of ice and hit the tractor coming in the opposite direction, DNA indicates. The driver in his thirties who was at the wheel was killed instantly, our colleagues specify. A collision between two cars in Lupstein left one person seriously injured, according to a fire department press release.

Highways blocked

Traffic remained completely blocked for several hours in the Strasbourg-Colmar direction on the A35 motorway, noted an AFP team, which saw numerous emergency vehicles pass. In Moselle, following an accident, a semi-trailer is blocked on the A4 motorway in the direction Strasbourg-Paris in Hombourg-le-Haut, generating 4 kilometers of traffic jams, indicated the prefect Laurent Touvet, on the social networks. “The left lanes in both directions will be neutralized all day for crash barrier repairs,” he warns.

“Road Shipwrecks”

If the situation tends to improve as the day goes on – “the firefighters are still in heavy demand” write those of Meurthe-et-Moselle on X – many people were trapped this Wednesday. According to information from DNA, a psychological unit has been set up at the Hôtel de la Monnaie in Molsheim in order to prevent possible post-traumatic consequences among accident victims or “road wrecks”.

The authorities nevertheless call on residents to limit their movements, “including on foot, and thus avoid the mobilization of emergency services”. “The mild weather will be gradual. Icy areas may persist on the roads and sidewalks,” they warn.