On track at red light

Cycling boy without helmet hit by streetcar

The seriously injured boy was stabilized by the emergency doctor (archive image)(Bild: © Harald Dostal / 2023)

A 14-year-old Romanian from Traun was hit and seriously injured by a streetcar in Pasching (Upper Austria) on Sunday. The boy, who was cycling, had tried to cross the tracks in front of an approaching streetcar despite the red light. While a friend, who did the same, was uninjured, the schoolboy suffered serious head injuries.

The 14-year-old Romanian from Traun was riding his bike with a friend on the cycle path from Langholzfeld in the direction of the Plus-City shopping center at 4:10 pm. At this time, a streetcar on line 4 was coming from Linz in the direction of Traun.

Wrong assessment
At a crosswalk, the two cyclists were determined to cross the tracks despite the red light and the approaching streetcar. A plan that unfortunately went wrong for one of the boys.

The streetcar driver immediately applied the brakes, but the streetcar was unable to stop in time. The 14-year-old was hit and thrown several meters away. He was not wearing a helmet and suffered serious head injuries.

Streetcar driver helped 
The streetcar driver and a passenger got out and immediately administered first aid. They noticed that the other cyclist immediately took flight. After receiving first aid from the emergency doctor, the 14-year-old was transported to the accident hospital in Linz. 

Passenger also injured
A 30-year-old passenger was slightly injured in the head area as a result of the emergency braking and was also taken to Linz Accident Hospital. A breathalyzer test carried out on the streetcar driver was negative.