At around 3 p.m. on Wednesday, December 11, my young daughter and I were stuck in the car. We had just picked her up from school, and what should normally have been a short drive home turned into a test of patience. Traffic had come to a standstill. My two older children were still on the bus—and what should have been a 10-minute journey home turned into a snail's pace. Hours later, I could still hear the sirens of the emergency services, who were working tirelessly. It wasn't until the next morning that the situation was resolved: at 1:50 p.m., an accident had occurred on the A46 near Haan that would paralyze the entire region for over 16 hours.
The accident: A lane change with consequences
An electric semi-truck carrying hazardous materials changed lanes from the right to the middle lane for unknown reasons. A 59-year-old driver in a Seat Leon was in that lane—he swerved to the left and crashed into the concrete barrier. The truck also swerved to the left, collided with the concrete barrier, and tipped over onto its right side. All three lanes of the A46 were blocked.
Both drivers were able to get themselves to safety and suffered only minor injuries. That was a blessing in disguise. But while many people were stuck in traffic, a dangerous situation developed at the scene of the accident, which was only averted thanks to good coordination.
Battery fires: a new challenge for the fire department
The electric truck immediately caught fire—in the area of the high-voltage battery. This is an acute problem for fire departments: a battery fire in modern electric vehicles is a completely different challenge than a classic combustion engine fire. The battery burns hotter, longer, and releases toxic gases. It is a technical problem that cannot be easily solved with water.
The Haan fire department acted quickly and professionally. They requested assistance from other areas – and what followed was an impressive large-scale operation. Within a short time, emergency services from Erkrath, Hilden, Langenfeld, Mettmann, and Monheim were on site. They set up a water supply line to ensure the supply of water for firefighting. Tank fire trucks shuttled back and forth in continuous operation. The THW provided lighting, and the German Red Cross supplied aid to people stuck in traffic jams.
Particularly impressive: the Cobra high-pressure system used by the Ratingen fire department, a specialized extinguishing technique that injects high-pressure water directly into the burning batteries to cool them from the inside. The fact that such specialized equipment could be requested and used at all demonstrates the high professional level of cooperation between the various fire departments.
And yet, the sirens could still be heard until shortly before midnight. This underscores how long and intensively the emergency services had to work to cool the battery and stabilize the situation. It was not an easy operation.
The second risk: dangerous goods on board
But there was another problem. The semi-truck was loaded with hazardous materials—not just any substances, but two highly dangerous chemicals:
- UN 2290 – Isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI): A toxic substance used as a raw material for polyurethane paints and coatings. It is highly irritating to the skin, eyes, and respiratory tract, and its occupational exposure limit is extremely low. Even tiny amounts can be harmful to health.
- UN 2398 – Methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE): A highly flammable solvent with a flash point of approximately –28 °C. It is used as a fuel additive and solvent. MTBE vapors are heavier than air and can spread along the ground.
The combination is critical: a highly toxic substance plus a highly flammable substance—plus a burning battery that massively increases the temperature. This is the scenario that every fire department fears.
That is why a specialist consultant from the TUIS system (Transport Accident Information System) at Chempark Leverkusen was called in. These specialists can assess in real time: Which substances are on board? What reactions are possible? What needs to be done?
The good news—and this is truly fortunate—is that the barrels remained intact. The police confirmed that the cargo remained undamaged in the semi-trailer. There was no leakage of isophorone diisocyanate or MTBE. If the barrels had broken—given that these are highly dangerous substances—the situation would have been many times worse.
Civil protection: The warning for Mahnert
Due to the burning battery and toxic substances on board, the Haan fire department issued a warning to the population in the Mahnert area. People were asked to go indoors, close windows and doors, and turn off ventilation systems.
An area with a radius of approximately 100 meters around the accident site was evacuated. This may sound like extreme caution, but in the case of accidents involving hazardous materials, this caution is not an overreaction, but rather a necessary standard procedure. The fire department acted appropriately.
Traffic chaos: 16 hours of road closures and their impact
From 1:50 p.m. to around 5:45 a.m. (towards Wuppertal) and until 8:00 a.m. (towards Düsseldorf), the A46 was completely closed in both directions. That's around 16 hours. For thousands of people in the region, this meant gridlock.
The A46 is a major traffic artery. The traffic jam quickly stretched to the Sonnborner interchange in the direction of Wuppertal and to the Hilden interchange in the direction of Düsseldorf. The detour routes via local roads were completely congested. Anyone traveling in the region that Wednesday afternoon was stuck.
My two older children were traveling by bus—a journey that should have taken 10 minutes turned into a leisurely trip home. Families across the region experienced the same thing: students were stuck on buses, parents were stuck in traffic, and people were stuck in cars or buses.
The German Red Cross was on site on the A46 to provide assistance to people. This shows that a large-scale operation does not only take place at the scene of the accident, but also takes into account the people affected by the closure.
What I think about the emergency services
I must say honestly: I take my hat off to the rescue workers for such operations—not only on this day, but in general. What happened on the A46 was high performance under extreme pressure. The coordination between several fire departments, the specialized technology, the rapid identification of hazardous materials by TUIS, the care of those affected by the German Red Cross—this is not something that can be taken for granted. This is professional crisis management at the highest level.
The operation was long, the night was short for all the emergency services involved, but they did what had to be done: they brought the situation under control, they ensured that no hazardous substances escaped, and they warned and protected the population.
The questions that remain
Despite the professional approach, I still have some important questions:
cause of accidentWhy did the driver change lanes? That remains unclear. Was it distraction? Fatigue? A technical problem with the vehicle? A medical problem? The answer is important in order to prevent such accidents in the future.
Electric truck safetyThis accident shows that electric vehicles react differently to accidents than diesel vehicles. A burning battery poses completely new challenges for fire departments. How is the transport of highly toxic and highly flammable substances on electric truck platforms regulated? Are there adequate safety standards? These are questions that politicians and the logistics industry must answer.
Worst-case scenario preparationFortunately, the barrels remained sealed. But what would have happened if they hadn't? How prepared are fire departments for a scenario in which highly toxic and highly flammable substances leak out while a battery is burning? These are scenarios that need to be thought through—not to criticize the fire departments, but to better equip them.
Friday morning: The closure is lifted.
On Friday, December 12, at around 5:45 a.m., the Wuppertal-bound lanes were reopened. At around 8:00 a.m., the Düsseldorf-bound lanes followed suit. The semi-truck was ready for recovery, the batteries had cooled down, and the operation was complete.
What does this mean for the future?
This accident is not an isolated case, but rather a symptom of several converging developments:
- Electrification of logisticsMore electric trucks on the roads means more potential battery fires. Fire departments are learning how to deal with this—but the challenges are new and complex.
- Chemical supply chainsSubstances such as isophorone diisocyanate and MTBE are important raw materials in our industry. They must be transported—with the right safety equipment, at the right time, on the right route.
- traffic loadThe A46 is chronically congested. An accident in this region quickly multiplies into a regional traffic collapse that affects thousands of people.
- Human factorsA lane change, a moment of inattention—and suddenly the entire region is in a state of emergency.
Considering these elements together is the task facing politicians, industry, and transport authorities in the coming years. How can we make the transport of hazardous materials safer? How can we prepare fire departments for electric vehicle fires? How can we relieve congestion on highways such as the A46?
These are the questions that arose on Wednesday afternoon. And on that day, the emergency services showed that they are ready to deal with such crises—even when the night is long and the challenges are great.
Sources
- Düsseldorf Police – Final report – POL-D completion notification – Haan-West junction – Publication date: December 12, 2025 – https://www.presseportal.de/blaulicht/pm/13248/6177689 – Date of access: December 12, 2025
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