- Following the incident at the elevated Luckow mill, my associate is currently facing trial.
Following the thrilling combine harvester incident in Hohen Luckow, Rostock district, a 26-year-old will stand trial for negligent harm at the Rostock District Court in September. The trial commences on the 25th, as confirmed by a court representative to DPA. The accused was a coworker of the then 25-year-old farmer who tragically lost both legs in the accident. Previously, Ostsee-Zeitung had covered this incident.
The prosecutor's office filed charges at the Rostock District Court in late June. Based on police reports, three individuals were involved in the accident on August 19, 2023: besides the farmer, a 25-year-old employee of the agricultural firm and a 24-year-old harvest worker.
Originally, they aimed to empty the combine harvester's silo during harvesting tasks. Allegedly, they encountered a technical problem. The farmer attempted to fix it using a shovel but lost his footing and fell into the grain silo's hopper, injuring both legs. Investigators speculated that the combine harvester's safety mechanism might have been disabled - since the machine should turn off automatically when no one is in the driver's seat.
Specialized training for fire departments
Firefighters from Groß Bölkow (Rostock district) also intervened during this situation. At the start of the year, fire departments held a workshop to improve their readiness for similar predicaments in the future. In Sebastian Theis's words, group leader of the Groß Bölkow fire department, "There, we showed everyone how to cut the rescue opening, meaning an opening on the side of the combine harvester. This enabled doctors to access the patient from the side and operate more effectively."
Following the Hohen Luckow incident, the procedure for administering blood transfusions was revised, as reported by NDR. "It's quite a complex process until Rostock University Medicine approves blood transfusions," stated Prof. Dr. Clemens Schafmayer, the surgeon who conducted the field operation at the combine harvester's rescue opening in 2022. "We had to promptly simplify this procedure. Now, emergency medical staff can request blood transfusions more easily, thereby saving precious time in an emergency situation."
Urgent field intervention
In a remarkable turn of events, a rescue operation was carried out on-site. The procedure, occurring around 30 degrees high on the farm machine, lasted around three hours, according to Rostock University Medicine. Doctors operated in the dark, using flashlights, and were unable to visually assess the injured legs. Blood transfusions were delivered by helicopter during the operation. Ultimately, both of his legs had to be amputated above the knee.
The trial for the combine harvester incident will take place at the same Rostock District Court where the prosecutor's office filed charges. As reported by NDR, the procedure for administering blood transfusions was revised following the incident in Hohen Luckow, located in the Rostock district.
