World Cup
Serious bobsleigh accidents in Altenberg – Lochner fears for the World Cup
There were two serious falls on the bobsleigh track in Altenberg. photo
© Egbert Kamprath/dpa
Again two four-man bobsleighs crash in the challenging Altenberg ice track. A Swiss man is seriously injured. Two-man bobsleigh world champion Lochner also gets it. His World Cup start is questionable.
The opening training for the Bobsleigh World Cup in Altenberg was overshadowed by two serious falls. Two-man bobsleigh world champion Johannes Lochner from Berchtesgaden crashed in the four-man bobsleigh in curve section 13/14, as did the Swiss pilot Michael Vogt.
“We are currently clarifying whether something has happened to Hansi’s cervical vertebra area,” said head coach René Spies of the German Press Agency. The all-clear was given for pusher Erec Bruckert, who was thrown out of the vehicle. He was then taken to the hospital for an examination.
World Cup co-favorite Lochner has to miss the World Cup this weekend. “Now we have to see whether it’s enough for the World Cup in Winterberg,” said Spies. The title fights in Hochsauerland start next week.
The Swiss bobsleigh had it even worse in this difficult passage. Vogt’s pusher Sandro Michel was also thrown from the bobsleigh. After the fall, the 210 kilogram sled slid back down the track from the uphill finish line and hit the Swiss, who was lying dazed on the ice, with full force. In such a situation, a four-man bobsleigh can reach a speed of around 50 to 60 kilometers per hour.
Michel apparently injured himself seriously. The 27-year-old was flown by helicopter to the hospital in Dresden. As the Swiss daily newspaper “Blick” first reported, he is out of danger after an operation and is in a stable condition.
The organizer, Wintersport Altenberg (Osterzgebirge) GmbH, did not want to comment on details and referred to an expected statement from the world association IBSF.