Unknown people threw two manhole covers from a bridge over Autobahn 7 near Hildesheim overnight, seriously injuring two people. One of the manhole covers hit a moving car and shattered the windshield, police said Saturday. The 52-year-old driver was seriously injured, his 43-year-old passenger in critical condition. Rescue teams treated the two injured people from Baden-Württemberg and took them to a hospital. Police said the 43-year-old was out of danger on Saturday afternoon. The second manhole cover fell on the northbound lane, damaging at least four vehicles.
The police set up a murder squad. Several cases of attempted murder were investigated. Authorities are also looking for witnesses who can provide information. According to a police spokeswoman, the manhole covers were thrown off a bridge Saturday night that spans the highway between the towns of Hasede and Asel, north of Hildesheim.
Manhole covers are checked for traces
The two manhole covers, which weigh several kilograms, were attached and must now be examined for traces, a police spokeswoman said. Officials initially gave no information about the origin of the cap. Forensic experts obtained evidence at the crime scene on the Autobahn on Saturday morning. An expert was also called. The autobahn between Hanover and Kassel was therefore blocked in both directions between the Hannover-Süd and Hildesheim-Drispenstedt autobahn triangle. There was a traffic jam. The car hit was to be towed in the afternoon.
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There have been no similar cases recently in the Hildesheim area, the police spokeswoman said. However, in recent years there have been cases in Lower Saxony where rocks and manhole covers were thrown onto roads. In 2016, two manhole covers were dropped from a bridge on the A27 near Walsrode in Heidekreis. The drivers fled in fright. In 2008, a six-kilogram block of wood thrown from a road bridge near Oldenburg broke a car window, killing a 33-year-old woman. A court sentenced the 31-year-old criminal to life in prison.