Fatal playground accident in Bergwinkel: driver dies on site

Fatal playground accident in Bergwinkel: driver dies on site

A tragic incident occurred on Wednesday, July 3, 2025, in Bergwinkel, a community of Finn in the Burgenland district. At around 4:20 p.m., a 72-year-old driver came off the road and raced to an adjacent children's playground. His vehicle stopped at a game tower, which led to a dramatic and tragic scenario. The driver, who was initially passed out during the accident, unfortunately could not be saved and died on site. The passenger, a 53-year-old, suffered a shock and was immediately taken to the hospital. Fortunately, there were no injuries among the few playground visitors who were there at the time. The exact cause of the accident could have been a medical problem of the driver, and the investigation is still ongoing, as the MZ reports.

The accident site was closed for three hours, while the police force and rescue work on the incident. The playground remains closed until further notice when it comes to the security of the population and to pursue further examinations.

frequent causes of accidents and safety aspects

accidents on playgrounds are not an isolated case; They are among the more frequent risks for children up to 17 years. According to the statistics of child safety, accident injuries are even one of the greatest health risks for children and adolescents in Germany. Accidents in the game and leisure environment account for 17.4% of all accidents, while most accidents occur with 43.8% in their own home or in the private environment.

• Example for locations:
• at home or in private environment: 43.8%
• in schools or care facilities: 24.2%
• on playgrounds or in sports facilities: 17.4%

In 2021, around 11.5 million children under the age of 15 were registered in Germany, and around 1.9 million were looking for medical advice due to accidents. It is particularly worrying that every eighth injured child had to spend at least one night in the hospital. Men are overrepresented among those affected - 18.6% of the boys suffered accidents compared to 14.3% of the girls. These figures illustrate the need to take preventive measures to ensure the safety of the children.

In this tense situation, it remains to be hoped that those affected can recover from tragic experience and that increased security measures will be taken to playgrounds in the future to prevent similar incidents. Further information on local blue light inserts can be found on MeinDärd.