A 36-year-old train conductor working for Deutsche Bahn has died as a result of being assaulted by a fare dodger. He died in the hospital on Wednesday morning. On Monday evening, he suffered severe blows to the head by a 26-year-old fare dodger on a train near Landstuhl in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, which resulted in loss of consciousness and hospitalisation.
Deutsche Bahn CEO Evelyn Palla expressed shock after the tragic incident: “I am stunned and saddened by this tragic death.” Palla condemns the senseless violence and said that it is “a black day for all railway workers in the country”.
The suspect, who was travelling alone, could not produce a ticket and was asked to show identification and then leave the train at the next stop. The 26-year-old suspect then attacked the conductor with several forceful punches to the head, knocking him unconscious. According to the preliminary autopsy results, he died of a cerebral hemorrhage as a result of significant blunt force trauma to the head. The 26-year-old suspect, a Greek citizen who says to be residing in Luxembourg, was arrested at the scene, according to the Zweibrücken Public Prosecutor’s Office, which issued the arrest warrant. He has no prior convictions or police records in Germany.
DB’s Chief Human Resources Officer, Martin Seiler, said in Berlin Wednesday afternoon that the train conductor had acted “exemplarily”, reported Stern. He tried to de-escalate the situation but offered no resistance. “We are all mourning Serkan,” Seiler added.
Unions critique lack of police capacity
German rail union EVG held a minute of silence in memory of the deceased on Wednesday afternoon, where Federal Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder also participated. Martin Burkert, head of the EVG stated that double staffing is necessary so that train conductors would no longer be alone on trains, he said on the ARD /ZDF morning news programme, reported Tagesschau. He also stated that federal police should ideally be present on long-distance trains, but this is often not the case due to staff shortages, he criticised. “Safety is non-negotiable,” Burkert said.
The German Police Union (GdP) has also spoken out after the incident. “The Federal Police are legally responsible for railway policing, but have been waiting for reinforcements for months,” GdP Federal Chairman Jochen Kopelke told the newspapers of the Funke Media Group.
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