Serious traffic accident on the Ruhr Valley Bridge: Two injured people rescued!

Serious traffic accident on the Ruhr Valley Bridge: Two injured people rescued!

A serious traffic accident occurred today, July 12, 2025, on the Ruhr Valley Bridge on Autobahn 52 in the direction of Essen. The incident, which happened just after 4 p.m., left several damaged vehicles and more questions than answers. Little is known about the exact circumstances of the collision as the police and fire brigade are still investigating the accident.

According to initial reports, several cars were involved in the accident. One vehicle was particularly affected, some of whose occupants were seriously injured. Two people were trapped in the badly damaged car and needed urgent help. The passenger was rescued through the tailgate in a dramatic rescue operation, while the driver was rescued through the driver's door. Another road user was able to leave his vehicle independently and received medical care on site.

Rescue workers on duty

Several rescue equipment from the surrounding towns of Ratingen and Heiligenhaus were in use. The rescue workers also included two emergency medical vehicles from the Mettmann district, the organizational head of the rescue service as well as the Ratingen professional fire department and the motorway police. All injured people were immediately taken to specialized hospitals, some under medical supervision, to ensure the best possible care.

However, the exact cause of the accident currently remains unclear as no concrete information has been provided so far. Police work is continuing to shed further light on the matter. While rescue workers were at the scene, the highway was partially closed, causing significant traffic delays.

A look at the traffic situation in Europe

Accidents like this shed light on a wider problem: every year thousands of people in the EU lose their lives or are seriously injured in road accidents. A look back at the traffic situation in Europe shows that the number of road deaths was reduced by 36 percent between 2010 and 2020. Nevertheless, there were still 22,800 traffic deaths in 2019 and the number was not much lower in 2020.

Statistics also show that young people, particularly those aged 18 to 24, are disproportionately affected by these tragic incidents. Although road safety is improving in some countries, in other regions the numbers remain worryingly high. For example, Romania has the highest rate with 85 road deaths per 1 million inhabitants, while Sweden has the safest roads with 18.

The current events on the Ruhr Valley Bridge fit into this complex discussion about traffic safety and the causes of accidents. A tragic incident that affects us all and highlights the need to continue to exercise caution on the roads.

For further information about the accident and the ongoing police investigation, please refer to lokalklick.eu and lokalkompass.de. europarl.europa.eu offers insightful insights into traffic accident statistics in the EU.