In Regensburg, a woman saved a man from death by cold at the last second and injured herself in the process. She can still feel the consequences of the rescue operation today.
Regensburg - Worse than any nightmare: In Regensburg, scenes recently played out that could very well have been part of an action thriller.
A man had accidentally locked himself in his own refrigerated truck.
For 20 minutes he screamed and hammered his heart out at minus 15 degrees.
He probably wouldn't have survived much longer.
Julia Friess-Pillmeier was cleaning her apartment in the north of Regensburg when she heard a whimper.
At first she thought the strange noises were dog whining, but at some point she was puzzled and looked in front of the front door.
A refrigerated van from the Netherlands was parked there.
The noises were obviously coming from his hold.
Friess-Pillmeier tore open the door and became a lifesaver at the last second.
Regensburg: man rescued from refrigerated truck: "I'll never forget these eyes"
She will never forget the man's eyes, says Friess-Pillmeier of the
Mittelbayerische Zeitung
.
They were wide open when the man fell into her arms, the Regensburg woman remembers.
The man's skin was already blue, his face gray.
Completely exhausted, he only said: "You saved my life."
The detainee is Ronald Kuijper, the Dutch driver of the refrigerated truck.
Since March he has been exporting fish and fish products for the Dutch company Hokkai Suisan in Germany.
When he wanted to get the goods from the parked van in Regensburg, the door slammed shut.
Kuijper got a panic attack and was no longer able to properly operate the emergency lever in the hold.
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Minus 15 degrees: The woman from Regensburg frees her man from the refrigerated truck shortly before
“I knew that if I wasn't out of here in 30 minutes, it would be the end of my life,” says Kuijper.
So for 20 minutes he hammered and screamed as loudly as he could.
When Julia Friess-Pillmeier came to the rescue, his energy reserves were near the end.
Because Kuijper was completely exhausted after being scared to death for 20 minutes in the freezing cold, his rescuer ran back into the house to bring him water and cola.
The woman from Regensburg fell and injured her left hand.
She was able to take care of her wounds quickly, but she still has no feeling in her little finger.
But it is more important that Kuijper is well.
Regensburg: Dutchman almost died in a refrigerated truck, then drove on
The Dutchman is fine today. Just two hours after the incident, he set off for Nuremberg in his truck, even though it was “not in good shape” for days. At the Dutch fish supplier Hokkai Suisan, the case had been analyzed in detail, explains the manager of the
Mittelbayerische Zeitung
. The emergency lever worked and Ronald Kuijper was asked urgently whether he would like to continue his job despite this experience. He wants that. In an email, he thanked his lifesaver once again - and announced that he would soon be delivering fish and meat again to Regensburg.