Haider spokesman says leader was drunk in fatal crash

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Austrian far-right politician Joerg Haider was drunk at the time of his fatal car crash, his spokesman said Wednesday. Stefan Petzner said Haider's blood alcohol level was significantly above the legal limit when he crashed his car early Saturday in the southern province of Carinthia, where he was governor. Police said his high-powered Volkswagen Phaeton was speeding at twice the posted limit when it veered off the road, crashed and flipped. Petzner said he felt obliged to confirm widespread speculation that the former Freedom Party leader was intoxicated. Haider's funeral is set for Saturday in the southern city of Klagenfurt.