Inundation Occurs - Man miraculously endures landslide: "The dirt crept up quietly"
One Saturday night, Jurgen Seng thought his time had ended. In the Ostalbkreis area, heavy rain near Schwaebisch Gmuend led to flooding and a devastating landslide measuring 30 meters wide. This landslide hit two wagons of the ICE 510 and had 185 passengers - and a car. Seng, a locomotive driver and local AfD politician, was in that car, and he shares his harrowing experience below.
I drove home from work, choosing a secluded side road over the busy four-lane federal route. I'm not sure why I made that decision - perhaps it was sheer luck. It was dark, around 11:20 pm, and I was only a few kilometers from home. The rain had been falling for three days, and everything was covered in mud. To the right of me lay a steep slope, while the railway line was on the left.
Suddenly, trees began crashing onto the road. Reflexively, I came to a complete stop, reducing my speed in the process. However, I was still hit by the landslide. "Oh God," I thought. But before I could register what had just happened, the landslide started moving again into the slope above.
Tree after tree fell: Thud, thud, thud. Some landed on the street, while others struck the railway tracks. I was terrified that one of them might shatter my car window. As I heard the HiCE train crash over something and then derail, more falling trees added to the chaos.
As soon as there was a pause, I lurched out of the car out of curiosity. Good thing I didn't exit, as I would have been smothered in mud. I called the police and my wife. She inquired, "Were you injured?" I replied, "Yes."
The emergency services arrived promptly with their blue lights and sirens piercing the night. I couldn't see them due to all the mud, tree trunks, and debris surrounding me. They signaled for me to make a visual sign to warn them if another landslide might occur. So I ventured out of my vehicle. Fortunately, the door opened; otherwise, I would have had to climb out the window.
As if there were a hundred fire trucks at the scene, the emergency services worked rapidly. This sight comforted me, instilling a sense of safety. I setup a flare, signaling to them my location. I contemplated escaping, as the landslide had stopped, but was still amid a sea of mud, wreckage, and splintered trees. My wife and father waited a few hundred meters ahead in their car. Police couldn't let them pass - they were driven away.
Seng revealed the aftermath to me. "I always get asked what happened," he said. "I tell them about how I was on my way home when the landslide hit the train. The train derailed, and the mudslide struck my car. I was fortunate to survive. The emergency services arrived to assist me. I was driven to the hospital for a check-up and released. I'm still shook by the ordeal, although I'm physically fine."
It had been raining unrelentingly, with the sky heavily clouded. His two companions urged him to get in their car to avoid getting wet. But Seng couldn't calm down. He paced back and forth, unsuccessfully trying to shake the fear. A few hours later, they finally made it home. And when he cried, the implications didn't set in until then. Seng's employer checked on him first thing in the morning, aware of the incident. He made the mistake of sharing primarily due to the gossip. Seng admitted, "It affected me more than I thought it would." Despite his physical wellbeing, his boss offered him psychological counseling. "I rejected it at first, thinking it would pass. But now I've agreed." While Seng didn't require a sick leave, his boss didn't want to see him for a while, serving as a protective measure. "I'm a train driver. Trees could fall on the tracks or some reckless individuals could lay down metal plates. I couldn't anticipate this disaster. I guess I can't prepare for acts of nature, like floods or volcanic eruptions or lightning strikes. Fate, in this case, was on my side."
