An “S-Bahn surfer” suffered serious injuries early Tuesday morning from an electric shock and the subsequent fall from a moving train. The 28-year-old from the Berlin district of Wilmersdorf had climbed onto an S-Bahn line 1 in the direction of Freising. A life-threatening undertaking. Because not only the high speed of the trains on the open route, but also so-called “flashovers” from the 15,000 volt overhead line can lead to falls and serious injuries.
“With the mostly serious fire damage, casualties often have to be put into a coma lasting several days or weeks,” says Wolfgang Hauner, press spokesman for the Federal Police at Munich Central Station. “Most operations are also necessary because of internal injuries or severe bone fractures.”
This is exactly what happened to the 28-year-old Berliner. When the S1 was near the Fasanerie train station shortly before 1 a.m., an arc of tension arose. The electric shock swept the young man off the roof of the S-Bahn. He was left lying on the platform with severe burns on his left leg.
Fortunately for him, the 28-year-old driver became aware of the injured person when she received a fault message when she entered the Fasanerie stop. She alerted the rescue workers and gave the victim first aid. The 28-year-old was transported to a Munich clinic for medical treatment. His injuries have been classified as non-life threatening. According to the federal police, it was still unclear on Tuesday morning whether he also suffered internal injuries from the meter-deep fall.
The S-Bahn driver suffered a shock and was relieved. The affected section of the route was closed to train and S-Bahn traffic for just under an hour. There was no damage to the S-Bahn or the overhead line. The federal police have started investigations into dangerous interference with rail traffic. The penal code provides for imprisonment between three months and ten years.
According to Wolfgang Hauner, it cannot be ruled out that the 28-year-old Berliner was not alone on his life-threatening journey. Anyone who can provide relevant information – including when and where the 28-year-old climbed onto the S-Bahn and whether he was accompanied by someone – should contact the Federal Police Inspectorate in Munich on 089 / 515550-1111.
The Munich Federal Police reported the last incident to date of an unfortunate S-Bahn surfer in May last year. A 17-year-old from Munich suffered head injuries at the Grub stop in the municipality of Poing when he got stuck on the roof while climbing down from the S-Bahn and fell onto the platform. Together with a fellow of the same age, he had climbed onto an urban train at the S-Bahn station in Poing.
Another incident of this kind in the area of responsibility of the Federal Police Inspection Munich occurred on July 20, 2019. Two young people who “surfed” in the area between Herrsching and Pasing were stopped by police officers in Neugilching in the Starnberg district before something worse happened, thanks to a witness. In April 2017, a 16-year-old student from Taufkirchen, who, according to the federal police, had previously surfed on an S-Bahn, was found dead on the track between Neubiberg and Ottobrunn.
Fatal accidents occur again and again nationwide. In September 2018, a 20-year-old died when he hit a bridge. Likewise in June 2018, when a 14-year-old S-Bahn surfer fell from a roof in Hamburg. Often S-Bahn surfers can be filmed or photographed in their life-threatening activities. Federal police spokesman Wolfgang Hauner quotes a father who lost his 19-year-old son in Berlin in March 2014 and then founded a foundation: “The young people don’t think that they could die or seriously injure themselves. His life for a fast-paced fame on the Internet endanger – it’s not worth it. “