Stress test on the highway - long traffic jams on the A4 after accidents

At the beginning of the weekend, travelers, commuters and professional drivers needed strong nerves on the Dresden-Eisenach 4 freeway at the Nossen junction. Within less than 24 hours, two major accidents caused considerable obstructions and tailbacks between the Wilsdruff exit and the junction west of the Saxon state capital.

First, late on Friday evening, an articulated lorry left its lane for unknown reasons. It drove about 100 meters over the hard shoulder, then landed in the ditch next to the slope and tipped sideways onto the meadow embankment. The tank ruptured and the fire department pumped out around 600 liters of diesel. Before the truck could be recovered, the load, around twelve tons of briquettes and pellets, had to be reloaded onto pallets. The damage caused is estimated at 70,000 euros.

Highway fully closed shortly afterwards

It was not until late Saturday morning that the westbound carriageway was open again - but only for a short time: at midday, several cars collided at a roadworks site. According to the police, a 19-year-old lost control of his van and hit a car in the adjacent lane, which consequently pushed a mobile crash barrier about two meters into the opposite lane. A car in the opposite lane was unable to take evasive action and crashed into the van.

The car driver and two passengers as well as the 19-year-old were slightly injured and the damage caused is estimated at 90,000 euros - the highway in the direction of Eisenach was fully closed for almost three hours for the recovery.