Fire death, drunk driver victims, high speed chase part of busy weekend emergency services work
Strong winds coupled with frigid temperatures whipped up icy flames on the lake surface Monday morning
Lake Geneva views of opposite shorelines obliterated by heavy waves and two metre high tongues of icy mists Monday 6 February
GENEVA / LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – A new record low temperature for this winter was set in canton Graubuenden’s Engadine region, in Samedan this weekend: -35.1C.
The death toll from the cold in Europe, now estimated to be over 300 people, continues to rise.
In Switzerland, the icy weekend kept police and firefighters busy, and Touring Club Suisse (TCS), the automobile club, had a record 23,000 calls to help motorists.
Trains are running slow in several areas as the CFF rail company deals with icy lines and other cold-related problems.
Burst pipes caused flooding Saturday and Sunday, notably in Geneva and Lausanne, reports TSR. The head of Swissgrid, which manages the Swiss electricity supply, told NZZ in Zurich this weekend that the country risks blackouts in coming days because the system is pushed to its limits.
A main SSR (public broadcasting) emitter on top of Säntis mountain gave way under pressure from heavy snow, according to 24 Heures, and is using emergency power.
Vernier drunk driver crashes into trio
Police in Geneva were called to Vernier Saturday night where a 25-year-old man with a two-week old grudge against a nightclub worker left the establishment on Chemin des Batailles and got into his parked car, then drove into three young customers of the club, narrowly missing the club employee.
He had been drinking in several night spots and his alcohol level was measured at 1.69 after the accident, according to Geneva police. His victims were a 20-year-old Geneva man who lives in Vernier who was treated at the nearby Hopital de la Tour and two women who were taken to the cantonal hospital. The 19-year-old woman, who is Bolivian and lives in Rolle, is being treated for several facial injuries and the 18-year-old for a broken leg.
The driver continued and crashed into a number of rental cars parked nearby. He is under arrest for attempting to cause severe bodily harm and on other charges, and his license has been lifted.
Lausanne police chase ends in three captured
A car in Lutry with four people suddenly took off Friday when police stopped it and led area police on a high-speed chase as far as Chemin Campagne Pierraz-Portay in Pully, where the passengers took off on foot. Two were caught and arrested, along with the driver, when police discovered a quantity of goods stolens from homes in the Lausanne region. The car had Belgian plates and the two Algerians and one Iraqi were from Belgium, ages 32-35. Police are looking for their partner.
One dead in Martigny fire
One person died and another was saved by firefighters from a second floor balcony of an apartment building early Saturday 4 February when a fire broke out.
The identity of the victim is being established, say canton Valais police.
The first floor apartment was unoccupied. The cause of the fire, at 01:15, is being investigated.
LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – A woman who was taking a driving course offered by the TCS (Touring Club Suisse) automobile club in Cossonay Friday morning lost control of her car for unknown reasons and ended up in hospital in serious condition with multiple fractures, say Vaud police.
The woman, a Lausanne area resident in her 50s, was alone in the car when she was to do an emergency braking operation on a wet road, on the driving circuit, but for reasons that are not clear she failed to brake. The car then failed to make the next right bend on the circuit and ran up a bank, flipped over several times and came to a stop 30 metres away when it hit the corner of an industrial building.
The driver had to be cut from her car and she was then taken to the St Loup hospital by ambulance. A dozen people were evacuated from the building as a precaution, with emergency personnel fearing a gas leak.
[TCS video] Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – European countries have been adopting new European Union norms on children’s car seats for some months, and Switzerland’s turn comes Thursday 1 April. The new rules have created a furor in the French-speaking part of the country, less so in German-speaking areas, Le Temps has reported. Most of the debate has been over the rule that requires children under 150 cm and up to age 12 to use car seats, a stricter application than in some other European countries.
Parliamentary debates have had some impact, with the Federal Council saying that it will study possible exceptions, in particular third parties such as sports clubs or carpool drivers carrying several children. Taxis in cities have been exempted.
Families, however, will be obliged to respect the new rules, which go beyond simply extending the booster seat obligation from age 7 today to age 12 starting Thursday. Seats for older children cost CHF20-40. Three types of seats, for babies, boosters, and special cushions, must be used correctly for a child’s weight and height:
Keeping Swiss garages busy: traffic on the A1 autoroute in winter
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Touring Club Suisse has launched new online service, available in French and German, to help you calculate the cost of repairing your car.
The new service also makes it possible to compare what your garage is charging with average rates. TCS has set up the ervice based on its 30 years of experience in the field, with its own figures used for a database. Car owners can search by model and age.
Among its recommendations:
- try to use the same garage regularly
- intervals for car services have become shorter, but if the recommended one for your car is long, you are still responsible for ensuring that oil and water levels, for example, are maintained
- keep in mind that the hourly rate at garages varies from CHF80 to 180 but the average is CHF145 an hour
- overall, calculate that a car driven 15,000 km a year will require between CHF2,000 and 6,000 to service by 180,000 km.
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - If you’ve ever been tempted by petanque, a French boules, or balls, game popular in parts of France and southern European countries, carefully check the ones in your cupboard: the Swiss federal government has issued a recall and warning about balls manufactured by Dutch company Nebus BV that have been distributed by Coop Supercard (part of a 2003 offer) and TCS (Touring Club Suisse), which has sent them to new members. The balls can explode when touched.
Do not touch them or take them out of your cupboard or attempt to return them to Coop or TCS. Call the hotline +41 32 321 7111 for information on how to have them picked up at your home.
The balls come in a black holder and are labeled “JEU DE BOULES” and “PÉTANQUE”. Also on the holder is this information: E.H., P.O. Box 4059, 5004 JB Tilburg (NL).
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Ascension, Thursday 21 May, is officially a holiday in Switzerland and France. Friday is also taken off work and school by those who “make the bridge,” or faire le pont between the holiday and the weekend.
The weather on the long weekend will be variable tomorrow, according to Meteo Swiss, some showers possible in the evening, and highs of 25-27°C. Weather for the weekend will be much the same. Picnics may be rained on. The French weather service, Meteo France, agrees.
Traffic is another constant. TCS predictions for motorway traffic are given for the holiday and the following three days, based on experience. Traffic in all of the usual places, but times are given for jams, to help drivers avoid them. TCS gives a number for members to call, +41 22 417 2424, or +41 0900 57 1234 for everyone else, for specific traffic information (86 centimes/minute).
For France, there is realtime traffic information on the autoroute network, in English.
Enjoy your weekend and drive with care!
