Safety · Faido
Wrong-way driver hits police car in Ticino tunnel, two officers seriously hurt
A 58-year-old man drove about 10 km the wrong way on the A2 motorway in Ticino on Thursday evening, 22 October 2026, before colliding head-on with a police vehicle in the Piumogna tunnel near Faido.
In brief
Police said two officers were seriously injured when the car they were in was hit head-on in the Piumogna tunnel on the A2 near Faido on Thursday evening, 22 October 2026.
The 58-year-old Swiss man, resident in the canton of Zurich, drove roughly ten kilometres southbound on the opposite carriageway, after first travelling northbound near Faido shortly before 21:30.
Police said the driver ran a red light that had been activated to close the motorway, then later drove through a police barrier before the collision in the Piumogna tunnel.
- Shortly before 21:30Road users report a black car overtaking on the hard shoulder near Faido, then driving slowly mid-lane northbound
- Near Faido, northboundPolice patrol arrives; the driver accelerates hard and runs a red light
- Before the Gotthard road tunnelDriver turns around and drives about ten kilometres southbound on the opposite carriageway
- Piumogna tunnelAfter a second turn, driver breaks through a police barrier and collides head-on with a police vehicle
Chase and wrong-way drive
Road users alerted the cantonal emergency centre shortly before 21:30 on Thursday evening, 22 October 2026, after a black car overtook on the hard shoulder near Faido and then crept along the middle of the northbound carriageway, blocking traffic. When a police patrol reached the scene, the driver accelerated hard and ran a red light that had been activated as part of measures to close the motorway.
Near the Gotthard road tunnel he turned around and drove about ten kilometres southbound on the opposite carriageway, according to police. He turned again, broke through a police barrier and collided head-on with a police vehicle inside the Piumogna tunnel.
Injuries and hospital transfers
Police said two officers were seriously injured in the crash. The 58-year-old driver, a Swiss man resident in the canton of Zurich, suffered moderate injuries. All three were taken to hospital after receiving first aid.
Rescue operation and road closure
Police said the cantonal police, several fire brigades, rescue teams and the Rega took part in the operation. The affected motorway section was closed to traffic so rescuers could work and the accident could be documented, and detours were set up for drivers. The reports do not give a time for reopening the road.
Sources and context
- rts.chTicino: two police officers seriously injured by a wrong-way fugitiveTessin : deux policiers gravement blessés par un fuyard à contresens · original in French
- 20 MinutenWrong-way driver travels 10km on A2Geisterfahrer fährt 10km auf A2 - drei Personen verletzt · original in German
- SWI swissinfo.chWrong-way driver collides with police car in TicinoGeisterfahrer kollidiert im Tessin mit Polizeiauto · original in German