After quad bike accident: Mourning for Goiserer firefighter colleague

Around midnight, the two men drove off a forest road on their quad bike and fell over an embankment. The 43-year-old was taken to hospital with serious injuries. The 39-year-old died at the scene of the accident – attempts at resuscitation were unsuccessful. The St. Agatha fire brigade was on site when their colleague was rescued.

• Read also: Quad biker falls over embankment in Bad Goisern: 39-year-old dies

“Cases in which your own comrades have been involved in accidents are particularly tragic and also a particular burden,” says Andreas Limbacher, district fire brigade commander in Bad Ischl. The team of trained comrades from the SvE (Unit for Stress Management and After Stressful Operations) are there to support the comrades affected in such serious cases. “In such cases, you need a person with whom you can talk, who comes from the same background but is still neutral and who you don’t know.”

“It is of course difficult when you are called out to such a stressful operation. The emergency services also sought help,” says Thomas Dreiblmeier, district fire chief of Gmunden. The 39-year-old who died in the accident had been a member of the volunteer fire department for several years. “He was a very committed group commander who also worked in the air service at the forest fire fighting base,” says Dreiblmeier.

Whole town affected

There is deep sadness in the community: “This is a very tragic story and the whole town is very affected and dismayed. Everyone in Bad Goisern knew him. I express my deep sadness and sympathy for the family,” says Gertraud Glas, deputy mayor of Bad Goisern.

The fire department is currently busy planning the farewell. “All of the fire departments in the Bad Ischl area will be present at the funeral,” says Limbacher. This is how they want to pay their last respects to their comrade.