Height rescuers in action

Accident at amusement park requires emergency services

Rescue operation at the amusement park in Straßwalchen.(Bild: Manfred Fesl)

Serious accident on Tuesday afternoon at an amusement park in Straßwalchen (Flachgau). According to the Red Cross, one person was seriously injured and another suffered minor injuries. Both victims were employees of the amusement park. Assistance was requested from Upper Austria.

The alarm was received by the emergency services in the early afternoon on Tuesday: rescuers from Ried and Frankenmarkt as well as from the Salzburg professional fire department were also requested. 

Turntable ladder in tower not possible
The accident is believed to have happened at the Knights Ride Tower. This is a 20 meter high tower where visitors can experience a rapid ride down. The two men were carrying out maintenance work inside the castle tower when the accident occurred at a height of seven meters for an as yet unexplained reason. Apparently a part had come loose. Local emergency services were unable to set up a turntable ladder in the attraction.

The ride was out of service at the time of the accident and there were no visitors in the area. "After an initial assessment of the situation, we alerted the height rescue teams from the Salzburg professional fire department and the Frankenmarkt and Ried im Innkreis fire departments in Upper Austria," said incident commander Martin Beitschek from the Straßwalchen fire department.

Operation in a confined space
The emergency doctor treated the two trapped people at the scene of the accident and prepared them for evacuation. "In consultation with the height rescuers, the ride was then lowered centimeter by centimeter with the emergency lowering device in order to free the trapped persons piece by piece," reported Beitschek. "Thank goodness that went well." The operation was difficult because the rescue took place in a very confined space and it was very hot inside the tower.

The height rescuers work their way up the tower to the casualties.(Bild: Feuerwehr Straßwalchen)

Employees out of danger
The two men were taken to hospital. According to information from the amusement park, there is no danger to life. In total, more than four dozen firefighters with 13 vehicles, an emergency helicopter, several ambulances and a general practitioner were deployed.