A truck driver, reportedly under the influence of alcohol and experiencing a severe psychological crisis, caused a series of accidents during a chaotic rampage across multiple motorways in North Rhine-Westphalia. According to Düsseldorf police on Sunday, 19 people were injured, with one person in critical condition. The incidents involved around fifty vehicles in total.

The suspect was expected to appear before a magistrate on Sunday, but prosecutors planned to request his admission to a psychiatric facility instead.

Initial reports suggested 26 injuries, but this was later revised to 19. Among the victims, one is in critical condition, seven sustained serious injuries, and 11 suffered minor injuries.

The 30-year-old truck driver was taken to hospital after his arrest before being transferred to a psychiatric clinic. Initial tests indicated significant alcohol consumption, and the man was also tested for drugs. Blood test results are expected in the coming days. Police later determined that the suspect might be suffering from a mental illness, making him unfit for normal detention.

North Rhine-Westphalia's Interior Minister Herbert Reul expressed shock at the events. “This chaotic, reckless drive could have ended in catastrophe. We’re lucky not to be mourning any fatalities,” he told the Rheinische Post newspaper. He described the thought of a truck ploughing into vehicles on a motorway as every driver’s worst nightmare.

RTL

© Photo by Sascha Thelen / DPA / dpa Picture-Alliance via AFP

The police were first alerted to the truck on Saturday afternoon. At around 4.25pm, reports came in about a truck with Polish licence plates driving erratically on the A46 near Neuss. The driver ignored police orders to stop, accelerating and weaving across lanes as he continued towards Wuppertal. Motorists in the area were advised to leave the motorways immediately.

The truck then switched to the A1 motorway, crossed into oncoming traffic between Volmarstein and Hagen-West, and eventually came to a stop after colliding with other vehicles. The driver was arrested at the scene. His dangerous journey spanned approximately 60 kilometres from the initial sighting to his capture.

On Saturday evening, police closed parts of the A1 motorway: towards Cologne from Hagen-West to the crash site and towards Bremen from Gevelsberg to the crash site. All closures were lifted by Sunday.