The serious bus accident in Upper Bavaria with more than 50 injured skiers from North Rhine-Westphalia is still being investigated. At least one thing is clear now: the driver did not sit at the wheel for too long. There was no violation of the driving times, the public prosecutor’s office in Traunstein said on Monday evening on request. The bus driver has not yet been heard.
The prosecution took over the investigation over the weekend. The coach with 61 passengers, including children, teenagers and young adults, went off the road near Inzell on Saturday morning and tipped down an embankment. It is unclear why the bus left the road. The officials are not assuming external involvement.
On request, the coach company from Beckum in Westphalia assured that there had been no violations of the statutory rest periods during the journey. Two drivers – in addition to the main driver, a relief driver – were used for the journey, according to a written statement by Engel Touristik on Monday. The driver, who is known in the company as “extremely conscientious and experienced”, observed all the prescribed break times. The vehicle involved in the accident also corresponds to the current state of the art. It was subjected to a final safety check on January 8th. The company stressed that it fully supports the work of the investigative authorities and expressed regret at the injuries.
People were on their way to ski holidays in Kaprun, Austria, which is about 70 kilometers further south. According to the fire department, hundreds of rescue workers from the region and six helicopters were on site for hours. According to reports from hospitals, the police counted 52 injuries on Sunday. Among the victims were 14 seriously injured – one of them in the intensive care unit. The 58-year-old driver was slightly injured. Only nine people were uninjured. How the injured are now doing was not known on Monday.