21-year-old driver crashes into house in Andwil SG after fleeing police

The chase and the crash

A 21-year-old man was seriously injured after fleeing a police check in St. Gallen canton early on Saturday, 7 November. Shortly after 02:35, a patrol of the Kantonspolizei St. Gallen tried to stop a driver in Gossau. According to police, the man ignored the stop request and sped toward Andwil at massively excessive speed, committing several traffic offences along the way. Near the Dorfgarage in Andwil he hit the right-hand kerb and lost control of his Mercedes. The car crossed both lanes, broke through a hedge and drove into the facade of a house, coming to rest in the kitchen.

Injuries and legal steps

The driver was seriously hurt but managed to get out of the car on his own. The rescue service treated him at the scene before taking him to hospital. Police ordered a blood and urine sample from him and confiscated his driving licence. Whether he was unfit to drive at the time of the crash cannot yet be determined. The results of the blood and urine tests have not been reported.

The house and its residents

Two residents were at home and escaped without injury. The husband told 20 Minuten that his wife was on her way downstairs when the car came through the front windows, and that she would have been standing in the kitchen two minutes later. He said her cries woke him. He does not hold the 21-year-old driver responsible and said everyone has a weak moment. After the impact the entrance could not be used, so the couple left through a window. They managed to take out their passports, bank cards and identity cards. The house is at risk of collapse and no longer habitable.

Rescue, recovery and what comes next

Before the car could be removed, the local fire brigade propped up the building, and a structural engineer inspected it. A cantonal emergency unit from St. Gallen supported the recovery and securing work on site. The Mercedes had wedged itself into the wall, so it had to be cut apart before it could be pulled out. The municipality of Andwil set up emergency accommodation for the couple within about an hour of the crash. The couple is expected to live there for roughly eight weeks, and the cost of the material damage has not yet been determined.