Drunk driver crashes into tree after apparent microsleep in Günselsdorf

A 25-year-old driver was seriously injured when his car hit a tree in Günselsdorf in the early hours of Wednesday, ORF reported. He tested positive for alcohol and had his driving licence provisionally seized.

Police said the driver, who is from Wiener Neustadt district, may have drifted off and veered off the B17. The car went down an embankment before hitting the tree. He was taken to Baden Hospital, and police said he would be reported to the district authority.

Firefighters were called to the crash at about 4.30am. They secured the scene, set up fire protection and used a winch to position the damaged car before it was recovered by crane. The operation lasted about an hour and a half.

In a separate crash in Wartmannstetten, Neunkirchen district, a car hit a 59-year-old cyclist at an intersection on Wednesday morning. Police said the driver, also 25, had tried to overtake the cyclist as he was turning left. The cyclist was taken by ambulance to Wiener Neustadt University Hospital and may have been seriously injured.