Mühlviertler local chief races away from police: injured in crash

The mayor of the Mühlviertel municipality of Baumgartenberg, Gerhard Fornwagner (ÖVP), is resigning after a drunken accident on Friday night. He evaded a police check in Saxen (Perg district) and had an accident while fleeing, in which he himself was injured.

Drunk local mayor ignores police stop sign

According to the police, the driver ignored the stop signs of the officers who wanted to check him, accelerated and drove off. On the way he ignored a barrier, left the road and crashed into a tree. The driver was taken to hospital with injuries; an alcove test showed a positive result. The local mayor can expect to face several charges.

At midday, the anonymous police release was followed by a press release from the mayor in which he acknowledged the incident, expressed regret and announced his resignation. “I can only explain my reaction to the police stop and the resulting traffic accident as a blackout caused by the enormous psychological stress of the last few days due to the ongoing fire service operations following the flooding,” it said. He could not undo this serious mistake and resign as mayor with immediate effect.

(Source: APA)