While picking plums

Senior citizen (85) falls into rain barrel and drowns

The woman lost her balance on a ladder leaning against the plum tree and fell headfirst into the nearby rain barrel.(Bild: Gundolf Renze – stock.adobe.com (Symbolbild))

An 85-year-old woman from Kessin near Rostock (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania) fell headfirst into a full rain barrel while picking plums in her garden and drowned!

The woman, who said she was "fit as a fiddle", had climbed onto an extendable telescopic ladder in her home garden to pick plums for her husband's favorite cake. This is when the fatal accident occurred.

After lunch, the pensioner had gone into the garden, as the "Ostsee-Zeitung" reported. She lost her balance on the ladder, which was leaning against a tree, and fell headfirst into the nearby rain barrel. 

Husband could not pull wife out of barrel
Her 88-year-old husband was surprised that his wife did not return to the house after a short time. When he started to look for her, it was already too late. He found his wife lifeless in the rain barrel and, according to the Nordkurier, was unable to pull her out on his own.

Helicopter deployed
In a panic, he called neighbors for help, who eventually alerted the emergency services. A helicopter was also deployed, but the doctors were unable to save the 85-year-old. She died at the scene of the accident. The accident happened back in July and has only now become known.