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Photo: DPA

Two dead in bus crash caused by coughing fit

Published: 14 Mar 10 12:29 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/national/20100314-25871.html

Two people have been killed and 33 injured, some of them seriously, after their bus crashed and slid down an embankment, landing on its side near the motorway.

The bus had left Villingen-Schwenningen in the Black Forest with a group of 48 passengers on their way to a holiday to Croatia on Sunday morning when it came to the accident on the A8 near Ulm.

Police spokesman Christian Owsinski said the bus slid around three metres down the embankment, turning onto its side, and then continued sliding around 70 metres before coming to a halt.

Around 160 emergency personnel were called to the scene, from the fire service, police, rescue teams and even the army, and used 10 helicopters to ferry people to hospitals around the region.

Initial investigations into the cause of the crash would suggest that a coughing fit suffered by a passenger distracted the driver, causing the crash.

The two victims of the crash have not yet been named, but are understood to be a woman and a man.

The autobahn has been completely closed in the Munich direction.

DDP/The Local (news@thelocal.de)

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Your comments about this article:

13:36 March 14, 2010 by mixxim
Accidents happen, sad! If God is there this would not happen, nor would there be child abuse, starvation, wars...
15:05 March 14, 2010 by Joshontour
People who blame God for these things just show their ignorance. No one is to blame It is neither their fault nor ours. It is the misfortune of being born when the whole world is dying.
17:32 March 14, 2010 by biker hotel harz
Eh?????? The driver is to blame it's as simple as that!
20:36 March 14, 2010 by Joshontour
17:32 March 14, 2010 by biker hotel harz

Eh?????? The driver is to blame it's as simple as that!

If I were a prosecutor I would want you on my jury.... Until all the facts are out, statements like this are awfully presumptuous.
21:54 March 14, 2010 by worldcomingtoanend
trying to blame God for all our problems will not solve anything and i am soo happy that God has not bowed down to any pressure of people blaming things on Him
09:53 March 15, 2010 by dcgi
@warrk21: Wow, you give "ambulance chasers" a good name.

@Admins this is sick/subtle spam, please feel free to google "warrk21" you'll see the guy touting this crappy site I guess he has a commercial interest in/created and is now now doubt google-chasing new stories for deaths and spamming his site all over the net. Nice.
12:21 March 15, 2010 by Dr. Cooper
The passenger who was coughing...now he/she is guilty for the deaths and injuries of innocent people! To the journalist, sorry, but are you crazy? The driver is the only one responsible for this crash and no one else. How can anyone is good conscience blame the poor little old lady or man who had the nerve to have a coughing fit on the bus?
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