Girl (14) died

Drama with e-scooter: it is now clear who was driving

These pictures from the scene of the accident in Schlierbach are still shocking. The dismay was particularly great throughout the Kremstal, many mourned.(Bild: TEAM FOTOKERSCHI)

A 14-year-old girl died after an accident in Schlierbach (Upper Austria) in August, her friend of the same age is said to still be in a coma. After the accident, there was great shock in the region. Many questions remained unanswered. But now it is clear which girl was driving the scooter.

The whole country was shocked: the terrible e-scooter accident in Schlierbach on August 19 left no one untouched. Two friends (14) had crashed into the side of a car together on an electric scooter.

Neither of the girls was wearing a helmet - so the consequences were all the worse: The two seriously injured teenagers were unresponsive. They were flown to Wels Hospital and the Med Campus III of the Kepler University Hospital (KUK) in Linz.

Rosa died in hospital
But all the doctors' efforts could not save Rosa. The girl of Italian descent - her parents run a pizzeria in Kremstal - died on August 21 at the KUK. Lena survived the crash but, according to insiders, has been in a coma ever since. The girl is said to have been transferred to Kirchdorf Hospital in the meantime. Theoretically, the schoolgirl could wake up at any time, they say.

Expert opinion brought certainty
The public prosecutor's office in Steyr commissioned an expert opinion to clarify which of the two girls had been driving the e-scooter. After all, the accident drama also involves the suspicion of involuntary manslaughter. "We now know that the girl who owned the scooter was the driver," says Andreas Pechatschek, First Public Prosecutor in Steyr. According to the expert opinion, traces of Rosa's DNA were mainly found on the handles and the brake lever. Another trace of DNA was only found on one handle.

Lena is therefore beyond suspicion. Ultimately, however, this legal detail will probably only be a side issue for the families of the two girls. In the obituary, Rosa's father described his child as the "most beautiful rose" and asked: "Please wear a helmet!"