Four women died in a Flixbus accident on the A9 at the end of March 2024. Now the Flixbus boss comments on the accident – what was the cause?
Munich – It is generally mandatory to wear a seatbelt on long-distance buses. However, there is no check during the journey to see whether the passengers are complying with these rules. This may have been fatal for four women on the Flixbus on the A9 near Leipzig; they died in the accident. The exact cause of the accident is still being investigated. The driver is also being investigated.
After an accident on the A9: Flixbus boss comments on the accident
The Flixbus was on the way from Berlin to Zurich when the accident occurred on the A9. Near Leipzig, the long-distance bus left the road and raced around 100 meters across the grass verge. He then fell onto his side, killing the four women. Initially there were five deaths, but one person is still in critical condition. 30 people were injured in the accident, the cause is still unclear and remains under investigation. Passengers are talking about a driver dispute.
Flixbus boss André Schwämmlein spoke
to the
Funke media group
about the incident. “One immediately thinks of the victims of this tragic accident. It's a shock for us, the whole team and for me personally," he said in the interview with the
Morning Post
. Although the safety measures are adhered to “above and beyond the legal requirements”, there is still a residual risk in road traffic. It is therefore not possible to prevent such an accident 100 percent.
“We have done everything” – Flixbus boss sees no guilt on the part of the company
The Flixbus boss also said that seat belt requirements had to be adhered to much more consistently: “The bus drivers also point out that seat belts are required. We appeal to all passengers to buckle up.” But Schwämmlein also said: “During the journey, this is not something the driver can control.” But: “We are checking very carefully how we can make passengers more aware so that they buckle up. But we did everything we could to ensure their safety.”
The Flixbus boss does not see the demand from a CDU transport politician for a closer look at the processes in the long-distance bus industry as necessary: “The long-distance bus is already a very well-controlled means of transport with a very high safety standard.” He also noted that the Flixbus vehicles are only five years old on average, meaning inspections are largely unnecessary. In the accident on the A9, the Flixbus boss could rule out that driving and rest times were ignored, and “the bus was in good condition.” (
rd
)