Railway worker ‘falls from 75mph train during attack’ as he’s left fighting for life
The 26-year-old Deutsche Bahn security worker suffered life-threatening injuries after allegedly falling from a regional train near Karlsruhe, Germany, on Friday evening following an alleged confrontation with a passenger
The security guard was injured on a train travelling from Offenburg towards Karlsruhe (file)(Image: Getty)
A railway security guard is battling for his life after he fell from a train moving at 75mph following an alleged violent altercation with a passenger.
The 26-year-old sustained life-threatening injuries after falling from the regional service near Ettlingen-Bruchhausen, south of Karlsruhe, Germany, on Friday evening (July 17).
According to German news outlet ka-news.de, the incident occurred at approximately 7:35pm after ticket inspectors examining a 36-year-old German passenger became embroiled in a verbal row with him. Two Deutsche Bahn security officers were reportedly summoned to step in after the passenger, who is claimed to have been drunk, started abusing them.
A railway worker is in a critical condition (file)(Image: Getty)
A physical altercation then erupted between the passenger and the 26-year-old security officer, who is reported to be a Bulgarian citizen. Both men are said to have tumbled to the ground during the scuffle before regaining their footing.
German newspaper BILD reports that the passenger then allegedly shoved the security officer against a train door, with the force of the collision apparently causing part of the entrance steps to snap off.
BR24 also reported that a spokesperson for the public prosecutor’s office said the security officer fell against the train door during the violent altercation, causing the door to be torn from its hinges,
The regional service was travelling at approximately 120kmh, or 75mph, when the 26-year-old plummeted from the moving carriage near Ettlingen-Bruchhausen. A significant search operation was initiated, with Tagesschau reporting the use of drones among the resources deployed to locate the missing railway worker.
The incident is now being investigated by police (Image: Getty)
He was eventually found on the tracks around two kilometres from where the train halted, suffering from life-threatening injuries, reports the Express.
Emergency medical staff transported the injured man to hospital for further treatment, as reported by ka-news. de.
BR24 subsequently reported that the railway worker’s condition remained critical, quoting a spokesperson from the public prosecutor’s office.
The 36-year-old passenger was apprehended on board, while the train was seized as investigators determine exactly what transpired during the altercation.
Karlsruhe Criminal Police have assumed control of the investigation, interviewing witnesses and scrutinising potential video evidence.
BILD reported that authorities are also probing why the driver seemingly received no alert that a door had opened.
Deutsche Bahn stated: “We condemn in the strongest possible terms the attack last night on a regional train. Our thoughts are with the injured person.”
Railway union EVG declared that assaults on staff had escalated to a “new, life-threatening dimension”.
Manuel Amberger, the state chairman of the Railway and Transport Union (EVG), added: “That once again one of our colleagues is fighting for his life in hospital after a simple ticket check leaves us stunned and angry.”
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