Crossing the road on red

Vienna bus hits pedestrian: helicopter operation

(Bild: Wiener Linien/Manfred Helmer)

Dramatic scenes unfolded in Vienna on Friday morning. A pedestrian was hit by a Wiener Linien bus in Raxstraße and thrown to the ground. He suffered extremely serious injuries - helicopter operation!

The serious traffic accident occurred shortly after 6 am. According to information provided by Wiener Linien to the "Krone" newspaper, the pedestrian wanted to cross Raxstraße at a red light, looked at his cell phone and overlooked the approaching bus on line 15A. "Despite the bus driver immediately initiating emergency braking, a collision could not be prevented," said Wiener Linien spokeswoman Kathrin Schmidt.

Helicopter in action
The pedestrian suffered serious injuries. He was in a critical condition after the accident, which is why an emergency helicopter was called out. The victim was flown to hospital after first aid, reported a Krone reader.

There were no injuries to passengers despite the emergency braking. "Our driver is receiving crisis psychology treatment after the accident," said Schmidt.

Rescue operation at Stephansplatz
However, this was not the only rescue operation in Vienna that morning: the emergency services were also called out at Stephansplatz. A 24-year-old public transport user suffered a medical emergency on the subway and slipped from his seat as a result.

Witnesses set the rescue chain in motion. The victim was removed from the train and treated on the platform before being taken to hospital.