80-year-old falls 80 meters during mountain tour in Carinthia – in critical condition

The course of the accident

As police reported, the man presumably slipped and fell around 80 meters down a steep, rock-strewn gully (Rinne), tumbling over several times in the process. He sustained serious injuries.

His 81-year-old companion descended immediately to the seriously injured comrade after the accident, alerted the emergency services, and took over first aid treatment on site.

Due to the critical health condition of the victim and the difficult terrain, the emergency medical helicopter "C7" was called in. The rescue took place in the form of a so-called crash recovery, in which the helicopter lands directly at the accident site in order to pick up the patient as quickly as possible.

Rescue by helicopter

After initial medical treatment by the emergency physician, the man was transported to the Lienz District Hospital in critical condition. He is being treated there further.

The situation was also extremely distressing for the 81-year-old. After the difficult descent and the initial care of his comrade, his strength gave out, as reported by "Krone Multimedia".

Risks in high mountains

The exact circumstances of the fall are being investigated by the emergency services. In this context, police are once again warning of the risks of alpine tours in high-alpine terrain, especially for older mountaineers.

According to police, the two Germans are considered experienced mountaineering companions. Nevertheless, the incident illustrates the dangers that exist even for practiced mountaineers in steep, rock-strewn terrain.