KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany — Authorities have elevated their investigation into who threw fence posts onto an autobahn close to Mehlingen late final month, severely injuring an American driving a bike.
Kaiserslautern police spokesman Bernhard Christian Erfort mentioned Monday that prosecutors are treating the case as an tried homicide. It was initially investigated as harmful site visitors interference.
“The act was not a prank to start with,” Erfort mentioned.
An unidentified 37-year-old was driving his Harley-Davidson on A63 towards Kaiserslautern round 10:30 p.m. on April 27, when about 20 giant items of wooden have been thrown from a bridge onto the roadway.
4 automobiles drove over or across the logs, however the motorcyclist misplaced management and slid alongside the pavement. He broke a number of bones and was hospitalized for emergency remedy.
Investigators mentioned they view the crime as particularly heinous as a result of the logs might have endangered many motorists. They consider that the wooden got here from a close-by fence meant to maintain wildlife off the street.
Beneath German regulation, homicide can carry as much as a life sentence, whereas an tried homicide cost may end up in lesser sentences between three and 15 years.
The crash brought about greater than $31,000 in injury to automobiles.
Whereas the motive on this case stays unclear, related occasions have occurred on that part of the freeway, police mentioned.
Prior to now 9 years, gadgets together with rocks and items of wooden have been hurled from bridges. In July 2021, a park bench was positioned onto the freeway, officers reported.
However till now, nobody had been injured because of this.
Kaiserslautern police are asking anybody with info on the incident to name 0632-3692620.