A serious traffic accident happened on Friday evening, January 16, 2026, on the L715 road near Altenmarkt bei St. Gallen. A 34-year-old Croatian citizen, who lived in Upper Austria, was driving on the state road from Altenmarkt toward Oberlaussa.
According to initial police findings, the man tried to overtake a vehicle in front of him around 5:40 PM. During this maneuver, his car first grazed the side of a vehicle driven by a 63-year-old woman from the Murtal district. Immediately after, there was a head-on collision with another oncoming car, which was driven by a 44-year-old Croatian man.
Due to the force of the impact, the 34-year-old suffered life-threatening injuries and had to be resuscitated at the scene. Despite the efforts of the rescue teams and transport to the UKH Linz, the man died shortly after. The police stated that the deceased was probably not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident.
Three other people involved suffered minor injuries in the crash. After initial treatment by the Red Cross, they were taken to the Rottenmann State Hospital. The vehicles involved sustained significant material damage. The exact investigation into how the accident happened by the responsible authorities is ongoing.
