After a serious accident

Fire department reception for paralyzed comrade

Johannes Stallinger (46), who is in a wheelchair following an accident, was surprised by his comrades.(Bild: FF Rohrbach im Mühlkreis)

Johannes Stallinger was shot down on his motorcycle by an intoxicated driver in Upper Austria at the end of March. The hooligan's van, which had crossed a no-go line, rammed into him head-on. The 46-year-old almost died as a result. He is now a paraplegic in a wheelchair. Friends of the fire department gave him a surprise reception.

Johannes Stallinger from Rohrbach-Berg was overcome with emotion when he met his comrades from the volunteer fire department for the first time again on Friday afternoon, exactly eight months after a terrible road accident on the B38. 

Respect and applause
They had lined up to show their convalescent friend respect and applause for his bravery in dealing with the fate he had suffered.

(Bild: FF Rphrbach im Mühlkreis)

Big surprise
The 46-year-old had been lured to the fire station under false pretenses by his wife Elisabeth and sons Christoph (22) and David (19) after returning from months of rehab. The surprise was therefore enormous. "I was extremely happy and so moved that my eyes got wet," says Stallinger.

Both sides were delighted to see each other again.(Bild: FF Rohrbach im Mühlkreis)

The insurance broker had been hit head-on by a van on March 29 on his way home from work on his motorcycle on Böhmerwald Straße. It later transpired that the driver was under the influence of alcohol and had crossed a no-go line.

"Three weeks in a coma"
"I hovered between life and death, was in a coma for three weeks and am now paraplegic down my chest." However, he wants to volunteer with the fire department again in the future.