Unfallstelle in der Nähe des Bahnhofs Ebenhausen-Schäftlarn
Foto: Matthias Balk / dpa
Approximately one and a half years after the collision of two suburban trains in Schäftlarn near Munich, resulting in one fatality, the public prosecutor’s office has filed charges against one of the train drivers. The man is accused of negligent manslaughter and 51 counts of negligent bodily harm, among other charges, according to the Munich I public prosecutor’s office.
According to the information, on February 14, 2022, the accused individual operated a Line 7 S-Bahn from Wolfratshausen to Munich. When approaching Ebenhausen-Schäftlarn station, he exceeded the prescribed speed limit. As a result, the train was forcibly slowed down. However, the train driver increased the speed again.
According to the prosecutor, the accused drove past a stop signal when exiting the train station. As a result, the train was forced to stop again by an emergency braking.
Ein Toter, 51 Verletzte
Although the train driver should have obtained permission from the dispatcher to continue driving after this emergency braking, according to the prosecutor’s office, he drove out of the station and accelerated the train to approximately 67 kilometers per hour. At the same time, another S-Bahn train was approaching on the single-track route. It was also forced to brake and came to a stop on the track.
When the accused noticed this stationary train, he did initiate an emergency brake, but the trains still collided. As a result, a 24-year-old passenger died and 51 passengers were partially seriously injured. The total property damage amounted to approximately seven million euros.