Barrier ignored

German girl (14) hit by Nightjet – dead!

A terrible drama in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia: a 14-year-old girl was killed in a train accident on her way to school. The girl is said to have crossed the tracks despite the barrier being closed - she was hit by an approaching ÖBB Nightjet.

The tragedy occurred on Monday morning in Rees - as the newspaper "Bild" writes, the schoolgirl was apparently too late. In order to catch her train to school, she probably got carried away and slipped under a closed railroad barrier to get to the platform in time for her train to leave. 

ÖBB train could no longer brake
As the girl was crossing the tracks, an ÖBB Nightjet passed by. The express train was unable to brake in time. All help came too late for the 14-year-old girl.

Dozens of witnesses assisted by victim protection
Shortly after 7 a.m., 30 passengers - including children and teenagers - had already been waiting on the platform for the RE19 regional express, as reported by the Rheinische Post newspaper. The witnesses to the accident, who had to watch the incident, were eventually looked after by the victim protection team. Drivers also had to witness the accident. There were around 300 passengers on the ÖBB train. 

The exact cause of the accident is still being investigated by the police. It is also to be clarified whether the accident victim really ignored the barrier out of time pressure.