Car hits cyclist head-on in Oberhaag, leaving him seriously injured

A 53-year-old cyclist was seriously injured after being hit by a car in Oberhaag in the Leibnitz district on Saturday, ORF reported. He struck the car’s windscreen and was flown to hospital by rescue helicopter.

The man and a 44-year-old companion, both from the Leibnitz district, were cycling towards Oberhaag on a municipal road at about 10.30 a.m. They encountered an 18-year-old driver approaching in the opposite direction on an unclear right-hand bend. The driver’s 12-year-old sister was in the passenger seat.

Shortly before the crash, the 53-year-old was apparently riding to the left of his companion, near the middle of the road. When he saw the approaching car, he tried to move to the far right, but the collision could not be avoided.

Police said the 18-year-old had probably not adjusted his speed sufficiently to the local conditions and the longer braking distance on the gravel road.

The cyclist hit the windscreen and was thrown into an adjacent meadow. After receiving emergency medical treatment, he was flown to LKH Graz hospital with serious head and facial injuries.