Driver drowned – after death drama: why did the taxi fall into the river?

“He knew the area, was there often and would have found his way blindly,” muses the taxi operator, who cannot relax after the employee’s fatal accident. “I didn’t sleep a wink last night. We spoke on the phone ten minutes before the accident and everything was fine,” says Birkl-Bauer. He doesn’t believe black ice or a passenger distraction caused the eight-meter fall, but he also rules out a health problem.

Unusual route
“I also don’t understand why Klaus drove in that direction. That is 80 to 100 meters from the actual harbor exit.” Birkl-bauer organized 15 trips to the Ennshafen on Wednesday alone, because sailors had to be taken to and from ships again and again. Klaus F.’s wife also drives a taxi for Birklbauer. “She is now completely ready and will probably only be able to work for us again in January.”

Difficult mission for the divers
Sailor Ronny A. (51), a Dutchman living in the Czech Republic, was able to swim to shore to save himself. He had to free himself from the sinking taxi through the tailgate – and was unharmed. The rescue operation was extremely difficult for firefighters Daniel Hois (33) and Martin Schrack (34) of the Enns. “We were only 80 meters from the taxi and climbed an icy staircase into the water and repeatedly had to push away floating ice sheets,” says Schrack.

Visibility was zero. “The wreck was on its roof and had sunk up to 30 centimeters deep in the mud under water. We could only find our way by touch to attach the lifelines.” It was impossible to open the closed taxi doors: “That was only possible on land, unfortunately the driver was already dead.”