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Pedelec accident in Reutlingen: 61-year-old fights for his life!
A Pedelec rider (61) falls in Reutlingen and is taken to hospital with head injuries. Unknown cause of the fall.
Pedelec accident in Reutlingen: 61-year-old fights for his life!
A serious incident occurred in Reutlingen when a 61-year-old Pedelec rider had an accident on a sidewalk and cycle path on Saturday evening around 11:45 p.m. The man was traveling on Rommelsbacher Straße in the direction of Orschel Hagen when, for reasons that are still unclear, he fell to the right onto the asphalt. Witnesses reported that he was not wearing a helmet and was found lying on the ground with a head injury that left him unresponsive. An ambulance was immediately called and took him to a nearby clinic. There was only minor damage to the Pedelec. Interestingly, a possible impairment of his ability to drive due to medication or alcohol was not ruled out, which could be the cause of the fall. A blood sample was taken in the clinic to obtain further information, as gea.de reports.
Similar tragic accidents with Pedelecs are increasing. Just recently, on Tuesday evening, a 70-year-old Pedelec rider was seriously injured in the Paderborn-Sennelager. He was traveling the George Lucas Trail when he fell due to a medical emergency. Fortunately, this driver was wearing a helmet, but his injury was also life-threatening. A young witness provided first aid and alerted the police and emergency services. The man was taken to a special clinic in Bielefeld in a rescue helicopter while the police secured the Pedelec. As paderborn.polizei.nrw reports, the medical emergency was also identified as the main cause of the fall.
Accident statistics and safety
The safety-relevant situation for Pedelec drivers is also reflected in the current accident statistics. The BG Verkehr has published an evaluation of reportable work and work-related accidents in road traffic for the period from July 2022 to June 2023. Extrapolated, around 7,650 accidents were registered, of which 1,220 were classified as serious and 42 as fatal. The types of accidents are broken down as follows:
- 31% Pkw
- 23% Fahrräder und Pedelecs
- 22% Lkw über 7,5 Tonnen
- 11% Kleintransporter bis 3,5 Tonnen
- 6% Busse
What is particularly striking is the high proportion of solo accidents involving bicycles and pedelecs, which is 34%. The evaluation revealed that personal reasons often lead to such accidents. This is underpinned by the fact that the use of Pedelecs in the world of work is increasing due to their advantages. Many companies now use them to deliver goods, which increases traffic on the roads. The BG Verkehr therefore recommends that employers provide their employees with roadworthy Pedelecs and offer regular training to increase the safety of drivers, as can be found on bg-verkehr.de.
Given these events, it is important that both drivers and employers take safety precautions seriously to minimize the risk of such accidents. Wearing helmets, regular driving training and responsible use of medication can be crucial to preventing such tragic incidents in the future.