In the case of the fatal traffic accident on the Bundesallee in Berlin-Wilmersdorf on October 31, the Berlin fire brigade contradicts the emergency doctor who was deployed at the scene of the accident.
According to an internal memo available to the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” (SZ), the doctor had stated that she would have decided against using the fire brigade even if there was a crane or rescue vehicle and decided in favor of the chosen procedure: move the concrete mixer with her own motor power to free the leg that was trapped in the truck’s twin tires. “A lift was briefly considered, but it would have taken longer and the medical situation worsened,” quoted the SZ from the note. In plain language: According to the emergency doctor, it made no difference to the treatment of the 44-year-old seriously injured whether the requested special vehicle from the fire brigade was in a traffic jam or not.
The Berlin fire brigade contradicts this view in an internal report, which is available to stern, among others. According to this, driving the accident truck, i.e. the variant of the emergency doctor, “basically is not a recommended rescue tactic”, but was decided after consultation with all those involved. “The timely arrival of the RW 3 (rescue vehicle of the fire brigade; editor’s note) would have offered those responsible on site further options for action. In addition, specialist advice on ‘technical rescue’ at the scene would have been possible,” says the report. “According to the statement of the TD (technical service of the fire brigade) a ‘patient-friendly’ rescue would have been possible after the arrival of the RW 3.”
Important: Whether the life of the 44-year-old could have been saved by the timely arrival of the rescue vehicle is completely unclear and may never be conclusively assessed. The woman was already seriously injured when the first rescue workers arrived at 8.28 a.m., and she was finally freed between 8.40 a.m. and 8.45 a.m. According to the report, the rescue vehicle in question from the fire brigade arrived at the scene of the accident at 8.45 a.m. For example, he has compressed air cushions or hydraulic systems on board with which heavy loads can be moved.
After the vehicle was alerted at 8.26 a.m., it was assumed that it would arrive at 8.37 a.m. However, the rescue vehicle did not make any headway on the A100 in the morning rush hour. In addition, the vehicles were backed up as a result of a protest by two climate activists who had climbed onto a gantry over the Autobahn at the Dreieck Funkturm. The police, informed shortly beforehand, therefore blocked two of the three lanes to the south, reconstructed the “Tqagesspiegel”. Apparently, a rescue lane that was not formed or was only insufficiently formed by the motorists also hindered the progress of the fire engine. At around 2.50 meters, the rescue vehicle is wider than many other rescue service vehicles. A firefighter told the “Tagesspiegel” that the journey was only “sluggish”.
According to the fire brigade in its internal report, if the rescue vehicle had arrived in time, there would have been other and possibly earlier options to free the woman. Instead, a firefighter drove the concrete mixer truck over the injured person’s leg again to free them.
The 64-year-old driver hit the cyclist on the multi-lane Bundesallee with his concrete mixer truck. There is a mandatory cycle path there. The accident victim succumbed to her injuries in hospital a few days after the accident. The extended journey of the fire brigade rescue vehicle had triggered nationwide discussions about the forms of protest of the “last generation”. The Berlin public prosecutor’s office is investigating the accident and the role of climate activists.
Sources: Berlin fire brigade on the rescue vehicle, “Süddeutsche Zeitung” (paid content), “Tagesspiegel” (paid content), Berlin police, internal report by the Berlin fire brigade, DPA news agency
