Tractor trailers carrying grapes overturn after early harvest

A tractor towing two fully loaded trailers overturned at a roundabout between Traiskirchen and Pfaffstätten in the Baden district during an early grape harvest on Saturday, ORF reported. About one tonne of freshly harvested grapes spilled into a roadside ditch. No one was injured.

One trailer overturned on its side while the second tilted, according to the Pfaffstätten volunteer fire brigade. Emergency services were alerted shortly before 2.30 p.m. and initially helped police secure the heavily trafficked state road.

Firefighters used winches to stabilise the tilted trailer and right the overturned one. They also redistributed and secured the second trailer’s load to prevent it from tipping over. The winemaker was then able to continue driving the tractor and trailers.

The remaining work involved manually transferring the tonne of grapes with shovels onto a replacement trailer. After the road was cleaned, the operation ended after nearly two hours.

Grape harvesting began particularly early in some regions this year because of persistent heat in recent weeks.