Tragic bus accident at Erfurt Central Station: 13-year-old dies!

Tragic bus accident at Erfurt Central Station: 13-year-old dies!

Erfurt, Deutschland - A tragedy occurred at the Erfurt main station when a 13-year-old boy was hit by a regular bus while crossing the Bahnhofsstrasse. The accident happened according to thueringen24.de in the late Thursday afternoon at 5:20 p.m. Despite the immediate attempts at resuscitation of the emergency services, the police, fire brigade, emergency services and emergency pastors, the boy unfortunately died directly at the scene of the accident.

After the tragic incident, Bahnhofstrasse was temporarily completely closed, which led to considerable restrictions on bus and rail traffic. Local residents report the underpass at the train station as confusing because pedestrians, tram and bus traffic meet. The investigating police said that Bahnhofsstraße was not a classic accident focus, although the throughput traffic of buses and trams is high and there is only a low entry speed. In the past few years there was only another accident with personal injury when a cyclist overlooked a pedestrian.

Investigations and discussion on traffic safety

The investigation into the course of the accident is currently underway, and an expert was consulted to reconstruct the exact processes of the event. This tragedy once again raises the question of traffic safety in the area. In particular, according to Manfred Wirsch's statements, the President of the German Road Safety Council (DVR), for traffic accident statistics 2023, in which 2,839 people in Germany died in traffic accidents, it is clear that there is a need for action here. As reports dvr.de, the number of traffic fattening rose by 1.8 % compared to the previous year, and Wirsch demands special attention to the safety of pedestrians.

in Erfurt and other cities is discussed how security for pedestrians and the way to school can be improved. The recently adopted StVO amendment could help to ensure municipalities to anchor zebra crossings in dangerous places without extensive evidence. Particularly heavily frequented school routes and areas around playgrounds could be made safer by temporation to 30 km/h.

The present tragedy is an urgent indication that safety in road traffic must be a top priority for all participants - from pedestrians to the driver. The discussions about improvements in traffic safety at the main train station are more than necessary and should be implemented in concrete measures as soon as possible.