Motorbike accidents in Germany: 1 Dutch killed, 4 hurt

Five Dutch motorcyclists were injured in traffic accidents in Germany over the past days. One, a 43-year-old man, succumbed to his injuries on Monday. The current condition of the others is not known, De Gelderlander reports.

The 43-year-old Dutch man was driving on the L707 east of Cologne, between Herscheid and Meinerzhagen, on Sunday when he ended up on the wrong side of the road and collided with an oncoming van. The Dutch man was trapped under the van and had to be freed by firefighters. He was rushed to a hospital in Dortmund by helicopter in critical condition. He died in hospital on Monday.

The L707 is very popular among bikers because of its many curves along the Nordhell, the highest point of Sauerland, according to the newspaper. The winding road offers beautiful views, but is also very dangerous. The mayors of Herscheid and Meinerzhagen sounded the alarm about the many accidents involving motorcyclists on this road at the end of last year, and demanded at least a partial ban on motorcycles. The ban was implemented in March, but scrapped a month later after a successful lawsuit filed by the German association for motorcyclists.

The other four Dutch were injured in accidents on other German roads. A 63-year-old Dutch man fell while going around a wet corner near Bielefeld on Monday afternoon. He slipped under an oncoming car. The man was taken to hospital by helicopter. On Saturday a motorcyclist from Steenderen crashed just over the border at Winterswijk. A 75-year-old Dutch motorcyclist broke his shoulder on Friday when he crashed near Nürburgring. And just across the border with Achterhoek, a 59-year-old man fell when he swerved to avoid a car.