World · Europe · 2 hrs ago
A7 southbound closed for hours after crashes near Kaltenkirchen
Crashes involving a heavy-load transport shut the A7 southbound near Kaltenkirchen in Schleswig-Holstein for several hours on Thursday morning.
Police say a car first collided with a support vehicle travelling with the transport, and a truck then crashed into the transport.
The truck driver and transport driver were slightly injured; police suspect the car driver may have briefly fallen asleep.
A separate car crashed and caught fire near the Bimöhlen rest area, prompting a temporary closure in both directions because of heavy smoke.
The people in that car got out themselves, but their number and whether they were hurt were not known that morning.
The crashes caused delays during the morning commute and left the Bad Bramstedt entrance closed while vehicles were recovered.
The northbound carriageway reopened, and the southbound closure was lifted later, according to the Kieler Nachrichten headline.
A7 southbound near Kaltenkirchen was closed for hours on Thursday after a series of crashes involving a car, a heavy transport and a truck.
The first collision involved a car and an escort vehicle accompanying a heavy transport.
A truck then crashed into the heavy transport, leaving the truck driver and the transport driver slightly injured.
A separate car crash near the Bimöhlen rest area led to a fire and a temporary closure in both directions.
Police said driver fatigue may have contributed to the earlier crashes, while the cause of the burning car’s crash was unclear.
- Who
- Drivers of a car, an escort vehicle, a truck and a heavy transport were involved in the earlier crashes; a separate car was involved near Bimöhlen.
- What
- Crashes led to a prolonged southbound closure of the A7. A separate car caught fire.
- When
- Thursday, 22 October 2026; the first crash was reported at about 1:30 or 1:40 a.m.
- Where
- The A7 between Bad Bramstedt and Kaltenkirchen, and near the Bimöhlen rest area in Schleswig-Holstein.
- Why
- Police suspect driver fatigue may have caused the earlier crashes. The cause of the car crash near Bimöhlen was unclear.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
A car collided with an escort vehicle accompanying a heavy transport; the sources give slightly different times.
A truck struck the heavy transport, and the southbound A7 was closed.
A separate car crashed near the Bimöhlen rest area and caught fire, prompting a temporary closure in both directions.
The northbound carriageway was reopened.
Kieler Nachrichten reported that the A7 near Bad Bramstedt was open again.
- Road
- A7, southbound toward Hamburg
- First crash location
- Between Bad Bramstedt and Kaltenkirchen
- Reported first-crash time
- About 1:30 a.m. (MOPO); about 1:40 a.m. (NDR)
- Injuries
- The truck driver and heavy-transport driver were slightly injured
- Separate fire
- Car burned near the Bimöhlen rest area at about 7:40 a.m.
3 sources
What people are saying
Both can significantly impair the ability to drive and lead to serious traffic accidents.
Anyone who feels tired should stop driving immediately and continue only after sufficient rest.