Exactly 6 years ago, a train wreck happened in the Plzeň region. Today, as if it was a curse, another one did and this time, it unfortunately claimed the lives of both drivers and one passenger. On Wednesday morning, two trains, one a regular regional passenger train, the other a big international express collided. It was a frontal collision, and despite the fact that we still don’t know at what speeds did the trains collide, it is clear that in such a collision, it is very unlikely that the drivers, who sit sandwiched in front of the engine, behind the windshield, had any chance of survival. In addition to the three deaths, more than sixty passengers were wounded, 10 of which were German citizens. 8 were severely wounded, 6 moderately wounded and at least 50 had light wounds, such as abrasions, small bone fractures and bruises in the abdomen and chest. The rescue personnel were unable to get an exact count of those lightly wounded, since some of them decided to not wait for treatment and walk off with the uninjured passengers to a local community centre, where they awaited alternative transportation. 5 rescue teams were also deployed to the site of the tragedy, as it happened near the border. They could also take care of their own citizens and transport them to German hospitals. Furthermore, 4 helicopters arrived at the scene, three of which were used to airlift the most critically wounded passengers to hospitals. While the exact cause of the tragedy is yet to be found out through investigation, the first bits of information are starting to surface. According to the Czech Minister of Transport Karel Havlíček, the critical mistake was likely made by the driver of the international express. He should have stopped at a nearby rail junction, and let the smaller train pass through. The exact reason why he did not stop is unclear, but a fault in technology would have likely been found out by now. It is also unclear whether the driver was German or Czech.
