A bus on line 52B in the direction of Hütteldorf station, which is operated by the Blaguss company, was affected, as Wiener Linien also announced. According to fire department spokesman Christian Feiler, the bus rolled down the sloping road and “continued straight ahead at a sharp curve”.
The vehicle first crashed into a tree and then into a transformer station with 10,000 volts. The transformer house was badly damaged. Parts of it were pushed against a MA 48 truck that was traveling there, Feiler reported.
The police also announced further details about the course of the accident in a broadcast in the early afternoon: The driver stopped the bus at a stop and carried out the change of passengers. As he was about to leave, he noticed that the back door was still open. The driver then tried to close the door manually. Then the bus started rolling.
Woman with multiple fractures
According to the rescue service, seven people were injured in the accident. They were all taken to the hospital. A 55-year-old woman suffered multiple injuries and received emergency medical care on the spot, reported professional rescue spokesman Andreas Huber of the APA. “Her condition is critical. She was flown to a hospital with the Vienna rescue helicopter.” A 45-year-old suffered spinal injuries.
The five slightly injured were treated by the Johanniter. According to Huber, these were children or teenagers between the ages of eight and 18 years. They suffered bruises, abrasions and lacerations. The injured are said to be all bus passengers.
Wiener Linien also emphasized that passenger safety is the top priority. The focus is currently on caring for the injured passengers. “At the same time, internal research and technical evaluations are running at full speed to reconstruct how the accident happened. Together with the Blaguss company, we will do everything we can to ensure that an incident like this doesn’t happen again.”
The bus has already been recovered, but line 52B will remain closed, Wiener Linien spokeswoman Schmid reported to APA in the early afternoon. The reason is that the bus is currently still at the scene of the accident and you are waiting for the towing service. “No other bus can drive there for that long because the road is so narrow,” says Schmid.
Source: Nachrichten
