Story By: Kathryn Quinn, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Central European News
Picture Credit: CEN
This married couple have been killed by a freight train after the husband drove onto a level crossing one day after his wife – the mother of their three kids – revealed she was moving to Monaco.
According to reports, three children including a baby were left orphaned when the Mazda, driven by 32-year-old Markus Leitner, crashed into a goods train at a level crossing in Neudorf Ob Wildon in the district of Leibnitz in the southern Austrian state of Styria.
The husband and his 29-year-old wife Nikoleta, who was in the passenger seat, were reportedly killed instantly.
Local media said that the level crossing did not have a barrier, but the warning lights were working at the time.
Meanwhile, the train driver claimed that Leitner stopped before reaching the tracks, but then suddenly accelerated into the train’s path.
The train operator made an emergency stop, but could not prevent the train from crashing into the Mazda and dragging the vehicle for over 100 metres (328 feet).
Police spokesperson Fritz Grundnig said: “The possibility that the passenger was murdered while the driver committed suicide cannot be ruled out at this point.”
The day before the incident, beauty therapist and stylist Nikoleta announced on Facebook that she was leaving Austria for Monaco.
She wrote: “Hello dear customers. I have some good news and some bad news for you. The good news is, I am offering hair extensions for 150 EUR (135 GBP). The bad news is, the location of ‘Niko and Beauty’ is moving to Monaco.”
It is not yet known whether her husband was planning to move with her.
The investigation continues.
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