15-year-old dies in an accident with a bus – young people are said to have crossed the road when it was red
In Berlin-Steglitz, two pedestrians fell under the double-decker in a serious traffic accident with a BVG bus.
Source: Dominik Totaro/dpa
Two young people were trapped under a double-decker bus in the Steglitz-Zehlendorf district of Berlin, and one girl died. Now the police said that the two probably crossed the street when it was red. The fact that the ambulance took quite a long time should cause discussions.
NAfter the serious bus accident on Saturday evening in Berlin-Lankwitz, in which a 15-year-old pedestrian was killed and a 14-year-old companion was seriously injured, there are initial findings on the cause: the two girls are said to have crossed the street despite the red pedestrian traffic light, like the police announced on Sunday.
The double-decker bus left a stop and hit the teenagers. The teenagers fell under the bus and were trapped. In order to rescue them, a so-called rescue vehicle was used, which lifted the bus with the help of hydraulic equipment.
Despite the use of emergency doctors, the 15-year-old succumbed to her serious injuries at the scene of the accident, according to the police. Her companion, who was one year younger, suffered serious head and upper body injuries and was taken to a clinic for inpatient treatment. “According to reports, however, there is no danger to her life,” said the police statement. The 62-year-old bus driver was in shock after the accident, it was said. He needed medical attention.
The first vehicles were on site nine minutes after the emergency call, but the first ambulance only after 20 minutes, said a spokesman for the fire department.
The rescue service in Berlin is overloaded
This fact should trigger new discussions about the rescue service in Berlin in the political arena. Because this has been heavily overloaded for some time, partly because there is a lack of staff and many emergency calls are received that do not relate to real emergencies. Fire chief Karsten Homrighausen had only declared at the end of November that there were more and more medical missions, but too few paramedics and ambulances manned. The rescue service is about to collapse.
The fire brigade alone sent around 40 emergency services and several rescue and special vehicles to the bus accident. A helicopter was also on site. According to the police, several pastors were called to the scene of the accident because there were many witnesses to the accident. An extra vehicle was provided for this purpose. A police chaplain also took care of the emergency services, who also have to process the terrible images. How many people were sitting on the M82 bus was initially unclear.
Berlin’s Interior Senator Iris Spranger (SPD) promised again on Sunday to improve the situation. “After intensive talks, the negotiations are on the right track,” said a spokeswoman for the interior administration. “Iris Spranger’s indisputable goal is and remains to relieve the rescue workers as quickly and sustainably as possible and thus ensure the protection of everyone in Berlin.” Within the red-green-red Berlin state government there was recently a dispute about the content of a new rescue service law .
BVG reacted with dismay to the accident
According to a police spokesman, “a large number of onlookers” gathered at the scene of the accident during the rescue operation. Disabilities caused by the so-called Gaffer were not known.
The Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) reacted with dismay to the accident. “We are deeply affected,” said a spokesman for the municipal company in the evening of the German Press Agency. “Our thoughts are with the relatives of those involved in the accident.” The BVG thanks the rescue workers for their commitment and of course supports the investigation into the cause of the accident as best as possible.