Horb mourns: commemoration for three victims of the bridging happiness

Horb mourns: commemoration for three victims of the bridging happiness

On May 27, 2025, almost 400 people gathered in the collegiate church in Horb to commemorate the three workers who died in a tragic accident on May 20 on the construction site of the new high bridge. The men crashed from a high height with a construction site gondola, which shook the entire community. The memorial event, which took place just a week after the accident, was remarkably well attended and recalled the crowds that can be seen on Christian holidays. Spiritual and city representatives spoke consolation and hope to those present in touching speeches. This reports swr .

Mayor Peter Rosenberger (CDU) emphasized the great sympathy of the citizens and expressed the desire for patience with the upcoming work on the high bridge. Pastoral officer Susanne Tepel, who found the high number of participants, described the service as an attempt to clear the "veil" of the accident. The commemoration was created as an opportunity to mourn the deceased and to share the pain about the tragic situation. The event was organized by various church communities, including the Catholic parish of Horb and the Evangelical parishes in Horb and Mühlen, such as Black Forest messenger reported.

donations and memorial culture

A donation account was set up as part of the commemoration to support the bereaved. This account must be formally accepted by the Horber local council in a public session. The planned donation amount is to be evenly distributed to the families of the deceased who come from Poland and Austria. Transfers under the intended use "Accident Hochbrücke" are possible, and a donation receipt is issued for donations from 200 euros, provided that the name and address of the donor are specified on the transfer carrier, as also from the Black Forest messenger reported.

The construction work on the high bridge is resumed a week after the accident. The employees have the opportunity to decide whether they want to continue working under the current circumstances. At the request of the workforce, a non-public memorial service in German and Polish is held directly on the construction site. In addition, the memorial near the high bridge is decorated with flowers to commemorate the deceased.

Investigations and accidents of work

The investigation by the Pforzheim police headquarters and the Rottweil public prosecutor's office have now been completed, with the construction site being released again. Nevertheless, the studies on the exact cause of the accident have not yet ended. The tragic incident throws a light on the necessary discussion about security standards on construction sites. In 2023 there were 15,036 accidents of work in the construction area in Austria, 19 of which were fatal. These figures illustrate the challenges with which construction workers are confronted with, and the demands for better protective measures are louder, not least in the face of the international commemoration day for victims: inside, the workers' memorial day, which is committed annually on April 28, such as ots reported.