Magdeburg Christmas market attack: insurer and Verkehrsopferhilfe to pay millions to victims

The insurer R+V had insured the rental car used by the attacker, a spokeswoman for R+V-Versicherung told MDR upon request. The insurer evaluated all personal claims of those affected that were not covered elsewhere and arrived at a total of approximately nine million euros. However, liability for personal injury to all those affected is limited to a total of 5 million euros under the Road Traffic Act, according to the insurer. "Durch eine gesetzliche Haftungsobergrenze wird dieser Betrag demnach auf fünf Millionen Euro begrenzt," R+V said in a statement reproduced in German media.

How the 7.5 million euros break down

An additional 2.5 million euros is being made available by the association Verkehrsopferhilfe, which is financed by all German auto liability insurers. "Zusätzlich habe die Verkehrsopferhilfe einen Betrag von 2,5 Millionen Euro zur Verfügung gestellt," R+V noted, bringing the total pot to 7.5 million euros. Because the full amount is not available, those affected are to receive approximately 80 percent of their individually calculated claim. The insurance money is paid directly to the victims, the insurer said. "Das Geld geht den Angaben zufolge direkt an die Opfer."

Where bank account details are available, payouts have already been made. "Wo Kontodaten vorliegen, wurde demnach bereits ausgezahlt," the insurer noted. Remaining bank account details have been requested. If permanent health damage caused by the attack is established, monthly compensation payments may also be granted beyond the lump-sum payouts. "Wenn dauerhafte gesundheitliche Schädigungen festgestellt werden, die durch das Attentat entstanden sind, kann es auch monatliche Entschädigungszahlungen geben," the insurer said.

Property damage and longer-term support

Property damage from the attack is covered up to a limit of one million euros, and the reported property damage claims currently fall below that ceiling, the insurer confirmed. The available funds are intended to primarily compensate direct victims who do not receive money from other sources, such as social insurance providers or hardship funds. "Mit den Geldern sollen vorrangig direkte Opfer entschädigt werden, für die kein Geld von anderen Stellen kommt, etwa von Trägern der Sozialversicherung oder aus Härtefallfonds," R+V said.

The compensation picture is supplemented by other sources of support. On a donation account set up by the city, more than 1.5 million euros had been received, and Saxony-Anhalt operates a separate victim assistance fund. The German federal government made up to 25 million euros available for support in the previous year. These layered sources of funding are intended to close the gap left by the statutory cap on the vehicle insurer's liability.

Other funding sources

Meanwhile, the trial against the attacker Taleb A. resumed on Monday morning, June 8, in Magdeburg, with further closing statements from the joint plaintiffs being heard. The Mitteldeutsche Zeitung, which first reported the insurance story, has not commented further on the trial proceedings. The article reporting the compensation payouts was produced by Lonny Kirchner, Max Hensch, and Sebastian Gall for MDR.

The combination of the 5-million-euro statutory cap, the 2.5 million euros from Verkehrsopferhilfe, donations and the state fund illustrates the financial architecture that has gradually been assembled for the victims. Yet the gap between the nine million euros in claims and the 7.5 million euros on offer means that, for now, no victim will receive full compensation, and further government or private contributions would be required to close the remaining shortfall.