A motorist has driven at high speed through a pedestrian shopping street in Hofgeismar, a town of 15,000 people in the state of Hesse, central Germany, injuring eight people, in a crash that police have attributed to an apparent medical emergency.
The 68-year-old entered the pedestrianised Mühlenstraße at about 10.30am on August 21 and struck several passers-by, according to North Hesse police.
The car then hit outdoor display stands belonging to shops and collided with the front window of a department store before coming to a halt.
Eight people suffered grazes, bruising or shock. Four were taken to hospital as a precaution, and no serious injuries were recorded among those hit.
Passers-by gave the driver, a Hofgeismar resident, first aid while he was still in the vehicle. He was treated by an emergency doctor at the scene and taken to hospital, where his condition was described as critical.
Witnesses had noticed the man moments earlier at a pedestrian crossing and had tried to approach him because he appeared to be unwell, officers said.
Investigators have appointed an expert assessor to establish the sequence of events. Damage in the pedestrian zone was extensive though could not yet be quantified, and the area remained cordoned off into the afternoon.
Cars driven into pedestrians now attract immediate scrutiny in Germany, where several such incidents have been treated as attacks.
A van was driven into a crowd near Berlin’s Christopher Street Day celebrations on July 25, killing a 65-year-old Polish woman and injuring 31 others. Officers shot the suspect dead the following evening after a manhunt lasting almost 24 hours.
Other cases have turned on the health of the driver rather than intent. A crash that injured eight people in Stuttgart in May 2025 was treated as a traffic accident.
Nothing in the Hofgeismar case pointed to a deliberate act, officers said. Enquiries were continuing.
