Jenbach Miracle – “I’m Not Afraid of Dying Anymore”

Flashback: The now 35-year-old popular chef of pizzeria “Gusto Italiano” in Jenbach walks with his dog “Aris” on the bike path on the railway between Jenbach and Stans on April 5 at around 2.30 pm. “We were almost back, I took ‘Aris’ off the line to play with him,” says the Kurdish resident, who came to Mayrhofen with his family at the age of three.

When an S-Bahn passes in the direction of Innsbruck, the animal suddenly runs after the train – and Sertac follows the dog on the track. “I wanted to save him,” he says.

Master in acute mortal danger
“Aris” is grabbed by the last wagon and thrown back. Then his master has a film tear. There is a good chance that Sertac will be grabbed on the left side of the head, dog and human are then motionless next to each other between the bicycle path and the dike. The dog is dead, Sertac is badly injured in the head – acute danger to life! Emergency room doctor, helicopter, clinic, intensive care.

Sertac has three strokes on the first day and undergoes emergency surgery. “The doctors assumed I would remain a nursing case — if at all,” he recalls. The life-saving appears to be successful, although several critical phases remain.

Waking up from the coma
On May 2, Jenbach’s miracle finally becomes a reality: Sertac wakes up from his coma. Although he can’t speak well at first, the first thing he wants to know is where his dog is. “I had forgotten everything,” he says in an interview with “Krone” at home in Wiesing.

Near-death experience in coma: “I wanted to live!”
During the week-long coma, dreams haunted him – almost all negative. One of the dreams – a near-death experience – he will never forget. “I was standing on a beach, the sun was setting. Then there was a path in front of me that led to the sun,” Sertac says. He thought for a moment, “Should I go up there?” But he decided differently: “No, I’m going to the right.” He didn’t think at the time that this would have been a life-or-death decision.

Positive attitude, unstoppable will
The Unterlander can celebrate his 35th birthday on June 26 – two more major operations later – in the normal ward of the clinic. And he amazes doctors and nurses not only with his positive attitude and unstoppable will, but in any case immediately with his progress in recovery. Of course – the optic nerve in his left eye was so badly injured that vision on the left was completely lost for the time being. “But the doctors think it might get better,” he hopes.

While in the hospital, Sertac was swept up in a wave of sympathy. Hundreds of get well wishes poured in on the mobile phone, countless people from many countries who had once been guests at the family’s pizzeria wished him all the best. The postman also brought cards and gifts, the Kurds were prayed for in the church and the music band played.

“We got back what we gave”
Sertac is looking for an explanation: “We come from a war zone, we look at people differently. My family has always been there for everyone. That came back.”

After the clinic, therapy followed in Hochrum and Hochzirl, only a few days ago he returned to his apartment in Wiesing. To take out, Sertac went running again and even got on the bike. “I took it with me on a trip to Brixen,” laughs the 35-year-old in his incomparably sympathetic way.

“Working 80 hours a week is too much”
He is still the director of the family pizzeria, but he will change his life. “Working 80 hours a week is too much”, he now knows. He now wants to treat himself to much more.

His ex-girlfriend had “Aris” burned – in consultation with Sertac. “We’ll probably scatter the ashes on a mountain,” Sertac says. At some point he will have a dog again and enjoy life with the animal.

Fear of death will not stop him from doing this. Sertac: “I don’t have them anymore!”