After a Woman's Fall

Despite the chaos, there was water for Iyla the dog

Esther helped the injured woman and was eventually able to hand her over to the paramedics.(Bild: zVg)

Two men from Upper Austria helped a woman who had fallen on Salzburg’s Mönchsberg. When they returned to their dog, Iyla, after the rescue, they were touched by the gesture from the M32 restaurant.

Esther and Matthias from Lenzing, both firefighters and trained paramedics, planned to take a walk on the Mönchsberg in late September, admire the Hohensalzburg Fortress, and round out the day later at the Augustinerbräu. But everything suddenly changed in front of the Amalie Redlich Tower.

While the two were taking a photo, a 77-year-old woman from Bad Reichenhall (Germany) next to them fell to the ground. She hit her face on the hard stones. Her front teeth were knocked out, her lip was split open, and her glasses injured her eye. Esther and Matthias approached the woman, put on gloves, and began treating her wounds. They retrieved the necessary supplies from the first-aid kit at the M32 restaurant.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Markus Wenzel, stock.adobe.com)

A waiter also helped immediately
The woman was completely distraught from the pain and shock. The two stayed with her, calmed her down, and treated her injuries. The staff at M32 also arrived on the scene immediately. A waiter—a member of the Salzburg Red Cross—brought ice and water, knew the emergency code for access to the Mönchsberg, and called 911. Esther and Matthias were finally able to hand the injured woman over to the paramedics.

Esther and Matthias with their dog Iyla—who remained completely calm throughout the incident.(Bild: zVg)

Dog Remained Completely Calm
While all attention was focused on the injured woman, someone else was waiting in the shade of a bench: Iyla, the couple’s trained search dog. She remained calmly in her spot on a leash. When the two returned to her, a surprise awaited her: the restaurant had set out a bowl of water for Iyla. The manager also treated Esther and Matthias to coffee and water. “We were deeply moved when we went back to the dog and saw that someone had taken care of her,” Matthias says—“while all our attention was focused on the patient.”

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