Suche
Mein Konto
Car scare on the playground: Senior dies after crash into tower!
On July 2, 2025, a 72-year-old had a fatal accident in Burgenlandkreis when his car crashed into a play tower.
Car scare on the playground: Senior dies after crash into tower!
In a tragic incident in the municipality of An der Finne in Burgenlandkreis, a fatal accident occurred on July 2, 2025, in which a 72-year-old man crashed his car into a climbing tower in a playground. Fortunately, there were no children on the playground at that time, which at least mitigated the tragedy somewhat, if not in its severity. The senior was found in critical condition when emergency services arrived and died a short time later. Initial investigations suggest that a health problem may have been the cause of the accident. His 53-year-old passenger suffered shock and also required medical attention. [Volksstimme] reports that the incident happened in the afternoon and the exact circumstances are still unclear.
A similar accident occurred recently in Heidelberg, where a 39-year-old father was killed by a falling branch of a horse chestnut tree on a playground in Handschuhsheim. A sunny day turned into disaster in an instant when the branch hit him in the chest area. The police have already started an investigation and residents suspect that the drought may have played a role in the branch falling. Despite regular tree work in the area, the city and the GGH housing complex took extensive safety measures following the incident, including checking all trees. The playground has reopened after a temporary closure but remains accessible to residents only. [Heidelberg24] documented the reactions of the GGH, which sent letters to residents to determine the need for discussion.
The safety situation in playgrounds
These tragic incidents shed light on the safety situation in playgrounds and the common risks of accidents that children face. According to specialist information on accident statistics, it is alarming to know that accidental injuries represent one of the greatest health risks for children and young people in Germany. Accidents are the most common cause of death for children aged one and over. Every year, around 16.5% of children aged 1 to 17 seek medical help due to an accident - a worrying figure. [Kindersicherheit.de] states that most accidents happen at home or in private environments (43.8%), followed by schools and childcare facilities (24.2%) and in playgrounds or sports facilities (17.4%).
In 2021, there were around 11.5 million children under the age of 15 living in Germany, with over 167,000 of them requiring inpatient hospital treatment after suffering an accident. In the same year, 163 children under the age of 15 tragically died as a result of accidents, including 22 infants under one year old. These figures illustrate how important it is to optimize safety precautions on playgrounds and to ensure regular monitoring.
The recent events in An der Finne and Heidelberg wake us up and make us aware that safety at a playground should be a priority. This is the only way we can ensure that our children enjoy playing and running around without exposing them to unnecessary danger.