Flown to hospital

Jump from tank: soldier (19) injured after exercise

At the end of an excursion with the wheeled armored vehicle, the driver suffered broken bones in the barracks in Güssing.(Bild: Christian Schulter)

The deployment of a soldier from the Montecuccoli barracks in Güssing (Burgenland) ended in hospital. The 19-year-old Pandur driver suffered extremely painful broken bones when he jumped from a wheeled tank. After receiving first aid, he had to be flown to Graz for specialist treatment.

The recruit was on duty at the wheel of a Pandur wheeled armored vehicle. When the 19-year-old returned from an exercise to the Montecuccoli barracks in southern Burgenland at around 3.30 p.m. on Monday, he parked the heavy military vehicle in the garage.

Broken bones
After the final command, the soldier climbed out of the metal hatch and jumped onto the asphalt. The tank driver landed so awkwardly on the hard ground that he broke his leg. To make matters worse, according to initial reports, he may also have broken an arm.

Help provided quickly
After immediate medical treatment, the crew of the emergency helicopter was alerted. The helpers from the air flew the injured man to the regional hospital in Graz. The hospital doctors took care of the patient.

Incidents at the border
Dangerous incidents occurred time and again during army operations. In January 2022, shots were fired at a small border crossing in southern Burgenland in an attempt to stop an illegal refugee transport. A smuggler had fired at soldiers. The perpetrator was able to flee across the border to Hungary. No one was injured.

Shot from a pistol
In contrast, a soldier (19) suffered serious injuries in June 2021 on a high ground near the southern highway exit Nickelsdorf. A shot was fired from his comrade's Glock 80 pistol, presumably during "target practice". Both men, militia soldiers from Vienna, were on an assistance mission to monitor the national border.