Woman dies in car crash days after missing doomed Air France flight
Last Updated: Friday, June 12, 2009 | 10:23 AM ET
CBC News
An Italian woman who missed the Air France flight that crashed into the Atlantic on May 31 has died in a car accident in Austria, according to an Italian media report.
Johanna Ganthaler, an Italian senior citizen, had been vacationing in Brazil with her husband, Kurt. They were due to take Air France Flight 447 from Rio De Janeiro to Paris on May 31, but missed it after arriving late at the airport.
The plane crashed into the Atlantic four hours after takeoff. All 228 aboard lost their lives.
The Ganthalers flew to Germany the next day. Upon landing in Munich, the two rented a vehicle and decided to drive home, Italy's ANSA news agency reported Thursday. While driving through Kufstein, Austria, their vehicle swerved into the opposite lane, hitting a truck.
Ganthaler died at a local hospital, while her husband remains in critical condition, ANSA reported. It was not immediately clear when she died.
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