Teenager (15) trapped between bus and car – seriously injured!

Teenager (15) trapped between bus and car – seriously injured!

A tragic accident occurred in Neu-Ulm on Friday, October 24th, in which a 15-year-old teenager was seriously injured. The incident happened shortly before 3 p.m. in the Offenhausen district when the boy tried to cross Augsburger Straße to reach a bus that was approaching. While he was running from the south side of the street towards St. Albert Catholic Church to the other side, he was hit by a car that was behind a bus. The 47-year-old driver had overlooked the boy and ran over him while she was trying to pass the bus. Passers-by immediately rushed to help and administered first aid before the injured man was taken to hospital. His serious injuries required immediate medical attention.

Fortunately, the driver of the VW Golf was uninjured, but had to overcome shock. She is now being investigated for negligent bodily harm. This incident once again highlights the dangers on the road, especially for pedestrians. The police closed Augsburger Strasse until around 4:15 p.m. between the gas station at the intersection of Ortsstrasse and Heinrich-Heine-Strasse and the turnoff to the district office (Kantstrasse) in order to give the emergency services and the accident department sufficient space.

Safety situation in traffic

Given the current traffic accident statistics for 2023, in which the number of people injured in traffic accidents has increased to 366,557, safety on the roads is increasingly becoming a priority. Manfred Wirsch, President of the German Road Safety Council, emphasizes that the number of injured and killed pedestrians has increased alarmingly in recent years. Children who often walk to school and are therefore at increased risk are particularly affected. To counteract this challenge, the federal government is working on a new pedestrian traffic strategy that, among other things, will make it easier for municipalities to set up zebra crossings without requiring proof of particular risks.

The amendment to the Road Traffic Regulations (StVO) is intended to make it possible to respond more quickly and flexibly to the needs of pedestrians and cyclists in the future. In addition, measures such as speed limits of 30 km/h in front of schools and near playgrounds will be easier to implement in the future. In the best case scenario, this could significantly increase safety on the roads and help avoid accidents similar to the one in Neu-Ulm.

It is in the interest of all road users to create more awareness of the structures and dangers in road traffic. Accidents like the one in Neu-Ulm are not only tragic, but also a call for politicians and society to take a more active approach to road safety. The German Road Safety Council is therefore calling for traffic monitoring to be increased and distractions in road traffic to be combated.

For more information about the incident and relevant statistics, see reports from Rosenheim24 and Augsburger Allgemeine. For an overview of road safety clarifies DVR on. The appeal goes out to everyone: Pay attention to each other in traffic - especially pedestrians!