In a crash on the A38 near Teutschenthal a horse died on 11 November 2026. Police said on 12 November that a car towing a horse trailer collided with a crash barrier for reasons that are still unclear. The trailer overturned. Two other horses survived the accident in the Saalekreis district.
According to police, the 23-year-old driver did not hold the driving licence required for the vehicle combination. It is not known whether this contributed to the crash. Police estimated the damage at around €100,000. The collision happened on the afternoon of 11 November.
The reports reviewed gave no further details about the condition of the two surviving animals or any injuries to the driver. It was also initially unclear why the vehicle combination hit the crash barrier. The fact that the driver did not hold the required licence does not, on its own, establish the cause of the accident.
The licence required to drive a car with a trailer depends, among other things, on the vehicles’ permitted maximum masses. The Driving Licence Regulations distinguish between several options. With a Category B licence, a trailer with a permitted maximum mass of no more than 750 kilograms may generally be towed. If the trailer is heavier, the permitted maximum mass of the combination must not exceed 3,500 kilograms under Category B.
Category B can be supplemented with code 96 for certain heavier combinations. This applies to trailers over 750 kilograms when the permitted maximum mass of the combination exceeds 3,500 kilograms but does not exceed 4,250 kilograms. Drivers must provide evidence of having completed a training course. Category BE covers combinations consisting of a Category B towing vehicle and a trailer with a permitted maximum mass of no more than 3,500 kilograms.
However, these general rules do not establish which category would have been required in this particular case. The published information gives neither the permitted maximum masses of the vehicles involved nor the category of licence held by the driver.
The case therefore highlights two questions that are initially separate: what caused the collision, and whether the driver was authorised to drive the vehicle combination. According to police, it is established that one horse died in the accident and that the driver did not hold the required licence. Reliable information to assess any connection between these two circumstances is not yet available.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).