Injured motorcyclist spends 11 hours awaiting rescue
Thursday 3rd September 2026 on 15:15 in
Austria
An injured motorcyclist in eastern Styria was found only after spending 11 hours at the bottom of a slope, ORF reported. The 63-year-old crashed on Thursday evening and was seriously injured; a walker heard his calls for help on Friday morning.
Police believe excessive speed caused the man to leave a municipal road in Höfling am Kulm, within the municipality of Puch bei Weiz, at about 8 p.m. He struck a tree and came to rest about three metres down the slope, while the motorcycle continued farther downhill.
Because of his serious injuries, he was unable to reach the road. The man had previously been paragliding and used his paraglider to cover himself, which likely protected him from hypothermia.
At about 7 a.m. on Friday, a walker heard his cries for help and alerted the emergency services. The Puch volunteer fire brigade rescued him from the difficult terrain. After receiving first aid, he was flown by rescue helicopter to Graz Regional Hospital.