Horror for public transport drivers

“I brake and see, it’s not going to work”

The powerlessness to prevent accidents is a major problem for subway train drivers.(Bild: Wiener Linien / Johannes Zinner)

Causing the death of people without being able to do anything about it: Drivers of subway trains, streetcars and buses have to experience this often enough, most recently in the fatal madness of two subway surfers in Vienna. The Wiener Linien crisis team explains how they help people to come to terms with this horror.

After the horrific accident involving the subway surfers outside Schönbrunn, Wiener Linien once again had to inform passengers that "the driver is receiving crisis psychology support". And many people, including in the "Krone" internet forums, wondered, despite all their sympathy for the victim: Why is the driver so bothered by this? He couldn't have prevented it! "That's exactly the problem," says Andrea Schmalzer, head of the crisis intervention team at Wiener Linien.