Serious traffic accident on the B470

On August 14, 2021, at around 7:50 a.m., a traffic accident occurred on the B470 between Kirchenthumbach and Eschenbach i.d.OPf., near the village of Kleinkotzenreuth at the underpass there. A 26-year-old American was driving his Nissan on the B470 from Kirchenthumbach in the direction of Eschenbach i.d.OPf. At the same time, a 33-year-old with three passengers, all from the district of Schwandorf, was driving his VW Crafter on the B470 in the opposite direction. According to initial findings, the 26-year-old came from his lane to the left into oncoming traffic due to the low sun, which is why the collision occurred. The vehicles touched each other on the respective driver's side, so that both were thrown into the ditch. Both drivers and one passenger of the VW Crafter were taken to nearby hospitals with minor injuries. Both vehicles were total losses. The total damage amounts to about 40,000 €. The accident site was completely closed for about 1 ½ hours to record the accident. The protection of the accident site was taken over by the fire departments Kirchenthumbach and Eschenbach. A rescue helicopter was also in action.