Friday, February 14
Winter weather causes major accidents and traffic restrictions
Berlin woke up to a snowy surprise this morning, as several centimeters of fresh snow coated the region overnight, bringing along with it significant traffic disruptions, accidents, and delays.
On the southern Berliner Ring, the A11, and A13 highways, icy conditions have led to multiple closures. The A11 between Pfingstberg and Joachimsthal, and the A13 near the Kahlberg rest stop are also impassable at the moment.
The icy roads have caused chaos throughout the region, with Brandenburg recording 336 accidents overnight. Nineteen people were injured, although most accidents resulted in only minor damage. Berlin wasn’t spared either, with 121 accidents reported by 7am on Friday, according to local police. The Berlin Fire Department responded to 25 accidents overnight, many of which involved vehicles sliding into tram tracks. There were also crashes on the city’s autobahn.
Two people were seriously injured in the capital. One involved a snowplow that overturned in Moabit; the driver, though injured, was able to free himself. The second occurred in Spandau, when a truck collided with a car on Freiheitstraße, leaving another person injured. The fire department had to stabilize a damaged streetlight with a ladder.
At Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER), the snow caused delays for both arriving and departing flights. With significant snow accumulation on the runways, the airport spent extra time clearing the snow, which led to extended waiting times. Several flights were delayed by hours, and the German air traffic control authority restricted landings to just 15 per hour due to the weather.
