Despite extensive warnings from the weather services, there are many accidents in Germany due to the black ice. A young man in Lower Saxony is particularly badly hit: he dies after colliding with a tree. But Deutsche Bahn and air traffic in Frankfurt am Main are also feeling the effects.
Dangerous black ice made roads and paths slippery in large parts of Germany in the morning and led to many traffic accidents. First of all, the north-west and west were affected up to the middle, in the course of the day there should also be freezing rain in the north-east with sometimes severe black ice formation, warned the German Weather Service (DWD). A driver died in an accident near Walsrode in Lower Saxony.
The 25-year-old man was driving an Opel on Autobahn 27 early in the morning, according to a police spokesman in Verden. He went off the road when it was slippery, crashed into the guardrail and broke through it. The car then drove into a tree. The young driver died at the scene of the accident.
Traffic accidents were also reported from other regions. In Gaggenau near Baden-Baden, several people were injured when two cars collided. A car skidded and crashed into another car, the police in Offenburg said. The driver of the hit car was trapped and had to be freed by rescue workers, she and her two passengers and the driver of the other car were taken to the hospital.
In Oedingen, Sauerland, a driver was slightly injured on Saturday evening when he left the slippery road in a curve and hit the frozen ground on the embankment. The car turned to the left, the police in Olpe reported. The driver had to be taken to the hospital.
In Bremen, the police were called to more than 120 accidents during the night and on Monday morning. According to the information, however, it remained with sheet metal damage. In the district of Warendorf near Münster, the police reported "first accidents with property damage". In Mainz, the officials recorded 63 traffic accidents, initially without injuries.
The fire brigade in Bonn has reported 24 surgical emergencies since Sunday evening, "which are essentially due to falls on the slippery surface". The police in southern Hesse said the roads in the region were slippery and that there had already been more than 30 accidents.
It was not only difficult on paths and roads. Frankfurt Airport also announced that there were "delays in operations and flight cancellations" due to the weather conditions. Passengers should plan enough time for the journey and be at check-in as early as possible. The airport also recommended checking the status of the flight on the airlines' websites.
Deutsche Bahn temporarily reduced the maximum speed of its trains due to heavy freezing rain, but since Monday morning long-distance trains have been able to run at regular speeds again. The weather also had an impact on the schools: in parts of northern Germany, classes were canceled on Monday, and many schools were completely closed.
For north-eastern Germany and the middle of the country, the DWD advised not to stay outdoors if possible and to be prepared for impairments on all traffic routes. Deep "Franziska" has "milder Atlantic air in its luggage": The weather service expected double-digit maximum temperatures for the southwest on Monday, and on Tuesday the ten-degree mark will also be cracked in the west.
