At least 10 injured as rally driver loses control of his vehicle in Austria

A rally driver lost control of his vehicle during an event in Austria, injuring at least 10 spectators.

A rally driver lost control of his vehicle this Saturday, August 20, while competing in a car slalom event in the village of Patergassen, in the Carinthia district of Austria. His car left the road and crashed into a group of spectators, leaving at least 10 people injured.

Some of the race fans are believed to be in a serious condition in hospital, including one child. Andreas Foditsch, the commander of the Patergassen volunteer fire brigade told krone.at: “Everyone is in shock”.

The incident occurred at around 4pm during the ‘Carinthia Race Cup’, in the Falkert/Wiederschwing sports arena in Patergassen. A driver lost control of his vehicle in one of the bends, and subsequently crashed through the fence into the watching spectators.

“Suddenly, we heard screams, people looking for help ran towards us”, an eyewitness told the Krone publication.

Karl Lessiak, the mayor of the municipality of Ebene Reichenau, said: “I’m shocked”. According to previous information, 10 people were injured in the accident, two of them seriously. A child is among the seriously injured. The driver of the 380hp Toyota was unharmed in the accident.