Onset of winter brings a lot of work for Zug's rescue services

The wintry road conditions led to numerous road accidents in the canton of Zug at the weekend. Some sheep also escaped from their fields.

A total of 15 accidents occurred in the canton, according to the Zug law enforcement authorities. In most cases, vehicles skidded on snow-covered roads and came off the road as a result. Following the heavy snowfall in the canton, temperatures as low as -10 °C were measured on Sunday morning.

One of the accidents occurred on Saturday evening on the Ratenstrasse in the municipality of Oberägeri. A 73-year-old driver skidded, causing his car to leave the road on the right-hand side and crash into a tree. Both the man who caused the accident and his passenger were lucky to escape with the shock, and were able to leave the vehicle unharmed.

The car left the road on the Ratenstrasse              
A tree fell on the Bergliweg in Zug
Smoke development from Weidstrasse   Photos: zvg

In other accidents, cars crashed into the crash barrier, an island safety post or a billboard. Fortunately, no-one was injured, but the damage to property totalled several tens of thousands of Swiss francs.

The heavy snowfall also caused several trees to topple under the heavy snow load, blocking roads and paths. The trees had to be sawn up and cleared away by the local fire brigade. The snow also damaged a fence on a sheep pasture in the municipality of Steinhausen on Saturday morning. This led to some of the sheep escaping. Together with a private individual, the emergency services managed to drive the animals back and reattach the fence.

Smoke from a fireplace fire found its way into the ventilation system of an apartment block on the Weidstrasse in the city of Zug on Saturday evening. The Zug Volunteer Fire Brigade FFZ ventilated the affected flats, as well as checking the chimney of the fireplace using the aerial ladder. No one was injured in this incident.