29 June 1989 · Driving through
Škoda through three barriers at Mahlow
A 27-year-old electrician approached the Mahlow crossing at walking pace, then accelerated through three barriers before crashing into a heavy crash barrier.
At about 22:00 on 29 June 1989 a 27-year-old electrician from Wiederau, in the Herzberg district, drove his Škoda slowly towards the Mahlow crossing south of Berlin, with dipped headlights, as if following the rules.
He then accelerated and broke through the first barrier. The guards raised the alarm and closed all installations, but he drove through two more barriers before hitting a crash barrier at about 70 km/h.
The front of the car was wrecked. The driver was seriously injured, taken to the army hospital in Potsdam and then handed over to the Potsdam Stasi district office.
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