Eight-year-old dies in accident with telehandler in Haibach in the Mühlviertel

Emergency services and crisis intervention on site

The authorities have begun investigations into the cause of the accident. The telehandler, a versatile piece of construction equipment with an extendable arm, is used both in agriculture and on construction sites. How the accident involving the child could have occurred remains unclear.

The district of Urfahr-Umgebung lies in the Mühlviertel, the northern part of Upper Austria bordering the Czech Republic. The region is shaped by agriculture, which is why telehandlers are regularly used there. The accident has triggered dismay in the small community.

Investigations into the course of the accident

The Red Cross crisis intervention team provided support to relatives and those involved. Such teams are called out after serious accidents to psychologically accompany family members and emergency personnel. The deployment with several personnel points to a larger number of those affected.

Police have secured the scene of the accident and are investigating. At the time of reporting, no information was available regarding any other possible injured persons. The public prosecutor's office is typically brought in when the cause of death and the exact sequence of events need to be clarified.

Background: Telehandlers in rural use

For the family of the child and the emergency services, coping with grief and processing the incident are now the focus. The crisis intervention team often remains available to those affected for several hours or days after such deployments. The small community of Haibach is confronted with coming to terms with a tragic event.

The responsible authorities will reconstruct the exact course of the accident. To this end, witness statements, evidence on the equipment and the condition of the terrain will be evaluated. Only after the completion of these investigations can reliable statements about the sequence of the accident be made.