Climbed on the wagon – after electrocution: Tyrolean fights to survive

Why the locals got on the wagon around 11:10 p.m. on Friday remains a mystery. The only thing that is certain is that after visiting a restaurant and drinking alcohol, he went for a walk at the freight station with his equally old girlfriend. On the tank wagon, he then became fatally entangled in the circuit of the 15 kV overhead line and received an electric shock. When the woman tried to pull him away, the tension gripped her too – both fell on the track bed.

burns all over the body
The man was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries. He suffered burns all over his body. The woman was also taken to hospital with burns.

Unfortunately not an isolated case
This was not the first accident, as people – mostly at night – climb onto a carriage at Innsbruck train station. In 2012, for example, a Ukrainian climbed onto a freight car and came close to the overhead wires. The student caught fire due to an electrical flashover and was burned helplessly! A 19-year-old was also seriously injured in 2016 after a similar ‘climbing manoeuvre’.

The same thing happened to a German (24) in 2019 who used the goods station for a shortcut and climbed over a tank wagon. He was badly burned.

ÖBB invests in education
“Such incidents involving young people affect us very much,” says ÖBB press spokesman Christoph Gasser-Mair. The ÖBB would therefore invest heavily and specifically in education. “It is enough to get close to the line,” warns Gasser-Mair. “Such accidents are often fatal and the survivors suffer permanent damage to their health.”

“Never get on the wagon!”
Entering railway facilities is strictly prohibited – of course also for shortcuts on the way home. “I can only appeal never to get on a chariot!”