In Kirchberg in Tirol

Two simultaneous tobogganing accidents with three injuries

Around 2,200 Austrians end up in hospital every year after a tobogganing accident - that's more than ten injured people a day during the season. On New Year's Day, three Germans in Kirchberg in Tyrol experienced almost simultaneously just how painful a tobogganing accident can be.

Shortly before 8 p.m., a 19-year-old German woman was tobogganing down the Gaisberg natural toboggan run in Kirchberg (Kitzbühel district). "She lost control, the toboggan spun and came to a halt against the direction of travel", according to the police.

Crashed into a stationary toboggan
A woman of the same age following behind was unable to brake and crashed into the stationary toboggan. Both women sustained serious injuries. They were rescued by the mountain rescue team and taken to St. Johann in Tirol hospital.

Second accident almost at the same time
In another tobogganing accident that happened at almost the same time, a 49-year-old German woman crashed into a railing on the toboggan run and suffered a serious leg injury. She was also taken by ambulance to the hospital in St. Johann.

Crashed into the stream bed with a toboggan
Another German (65) had to be taken to hospital after a tobogganing trip in Rettenschöss (Kufstein district). The man was tobogganing on the toboggan run from the Wildbichler-Alm shortly after 4 p.m. on 1 January when he overstepped the edge of the road in a right-hand bend and fell around 50 meters over steep terrain into a stream bed. The man sustained serious injuries.