Tree stops car from plunging into Salzburg canal

A tree stopped a car from falling into the Almkanal, a canal in Salzburg, after the vehicle left a wet road on Thursday evening, ORF reported.

The car went off the road at a right-hand bend near Wilhelm-Backhaus-Weg, hit a guardrail and then struck the tree. Everyone inside got out without assistance and was uninjured, Werner Kloiber of the Salzburg Professional Fire Brigade said.

Emergency crews checked whether oil had leaked into the canal and found no spill. They retrieved small pieces of the car from the water, and the fire brigade recovered the vehicle from the embankment with a rescue vehicle.

The reason the driver lost control is unclear. Police are investigating the crash.