Head-on collision in Valais Man crashes into oncoming traffic after taking a drug cocktail - now he has to pay thousands of francs

A driver under the influence of drugs caused a head-on collision in Valais. A couple from Solothurn suffered life-threatening injuries. The driver has now been convicted.

At the end of April 2025, there was a serious head-on collision on the Furka road in Valais, which was almost fatal for a couple from the canton of Solothurn. The crash was caused by a 59-year-old German craftsman from Upper Valais who was driving in a highly unfit state. This is the result of a penalty order reported by the "Walliser Bote " newspaper.

The man was driving his off-road vehicle from Oberwald in the direction of Brig. Shortly after loading the car, he attracted attention due to his unsafe driving style: According to the penalty order, the vehicle crossed the center line several times in serpentine lines and occasionally grazed the right-hand edge of the road. Despite stopping briefly at a set of traffic lights, the driver continued driving.

According to the "Walliser Bote", the man was under the influence of several drugs. Blood and urine samples revealed cocaine, morphine, methadone and cannabinoids, among other things. There was also evidence of heroin use a few hours before the journey. The combination of substances had severely impaired the driver's ability to react, coordination and judgment.

Couple seriously injured

Finally, an accident occurred: the off-road vehicle pulled over to the right-hand side of the road again before veering into the oncoming lane without braking and colliding head-on with a car belonging to a couple from Solothurn coming the other way.

According to the local newspaper, the consequences were serious. The female passenger suffered serious injuries, including several fractured vertebrae and ribs, a collapsed lung and life-threatening internal bleeding. She had to be treated in various hospitals for four months and underwent three operations.

Her husband was also seriously injured: among other things, he suffered a broken collarbone and foot and was also hospitalized for months. Both are still suffering from the physical and psychological consequences of the accident.

The public prosecutor's office in Upper Valais convicted the man who caused the accident of causing serious injury through negligence, driving while unfit to drive and violating traffic regulations. A conditional fine of 180 daily rates of CHF 135 each was imposed, plus a fine of CHF 1,300, procedural costs of CHF 2,000 and compensation to the couple. The verdict has been legally binding since April 2026.