Bus mishap with consequences

The boy’s dream of a Porsche ends up being expensive

The curious accident took place on March 11. Fischinger recently collected the wreckage.

(Bild: zoom.tirol)

When picking up his wreck after the curious "bus hoppala" in Fügen in the Tyrolean Zillertal, Porsche owner Michael Fischinger spoke about what the spectacular incident cost him and why he will be vacationing there again despite repeated bad luck.

Onlookers at the Spieljochbahn, pictures in countless media and on social networks - the 61-year-old from Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany would have gladly done without this "fame". Now he has picked up his crumpled Porsche 911 Carrera S, which was "buried" under a driverless bus on March 11, from the towing service in Zell am Ziller. The temporary end of a boy's dream!

Almost 90,000 euros for a 385 hp sports car
"Even as a child, I wanted to have a Porsche at some point," recalls the 61-year-old head of his own company. When he underwent heart surgery in 2012 ("you only live once"), he forked out 89,000 euros for the 385 hp speedster. It had previously served as the company's management car. Fischinger only drove 44,000 kilometers in all those years, guarding his Porsche like a treasure.

The curious accident occurred on March 11. Fischinger recently collected the wreck.

(Bild: zoom.tirol)

(Bild: zoom.tirol)

(Bild: zoom.tirol)

(Bild: zoom.tirol, Krone KREATIV)

"I had to comfort the bus driver instead of him comforting me"
Then the fatal March 11 in Fügen. "The yeast dumpling stuck in my throat at the ski hut when I found out about the accident." At first, he took it with humor - "and I had to comfort the distraught bus driver instead of him comforting me". But it soon dawned on him: his Carrera S, crushed to the asphalt by the bus, was probably a total loss. "I don't think I'll ever drive it again," says the entrepreneur.

My car had potential for improvement. Ultimately, I'm probably left with damage amounting to several tens of thousands of euros.

Porsche-Besitzer Michael Fischinger

Bild: zoom.tirol

Hard to get the same Porsche
The financial aspect? A purchase appraisal a few weeks before the accident came to 80,000 euros. He is likely to receive this sum - but probably less - from the insurance company. The 61-year-old immediately researched equivalent replacements. He has so far found a single similar Porsche in the USA for 129,000 dollars (around 118,000 euros). "My car also had the potential to go up in value. In the end, I'm probably left with damage of several tens of thousands of euros."

Broken pieces were removed, then the wreck was loaded.

(Bild: zoom.tirol, Krone KREATIV)

Haunted by a run of bad luck in the Zillertal
In Zillertal, the sports car fan is obviously plagued by bad luck: on the day of the Porsche incident, his ski poles were also stolen at the hut. "And last year I lost my cell phone on the slopes. I was able to locate it the next day, but the snowcat had already driven over it."

Nevertheless, he wants to come back, the booking at the Kohlerhof has been made. "Also because the Christophorus bus company apologized so nicely. The mountain railroad gave us a free day for the day after the mishap."

Accident scene now for sale as a painting
A Porsche, a bus, an accident scene. A Tyrolean artist has captured the day that was so black for Michael Fischinger for eternity - in an oil painting. "This fate somehow inspired me," says the painter, "it's lucky that no one was injured here."

Angelina Bolle has captured the scene of the accident on canvas.

(Bild: zVg)

Angelina Bolle from Rattenberg (Kufstein district) is a freelance artist and actually created the 50 x 40 centimeter painting for training purposes: "For speed, to practice jumping into a situation." The weekend after the incident, Bolle completed her artwork. She is now offering it for sale on Facebook Marketplace: 250 euros for the original, 30 euros for A3 prints. Would she also sell it to Michael Fischinger? "He's welcome to make me an offer," laughs Bolle, who comes from the Netherlands and has lived in Tyrol for 20 years.

It was the first time she has captured a dramatic scene from real life, but possibly not the last: "I paint motifs that are related to emotions, as long as they are not too negative," the 43-year-old already has the next one in mind. Namely the mass brawl in Gerlos the week before last, where Dutch soccer fans beat each other up with skis and sticks in an almost cinematic fashion: "That's modern Renaissance painting!"