An investigation into the devastating combine harvester accident that occurred in Hohen Luckow, Germany on August 19, 2023, is now being handled by the public prosecutor’s office. The main focus of the investigation is to determine if any of the three individuals present at the time of the accident can be held responsible for a criminal breach of duty. Despite reports and interviews from the victim, his colleague and the young woman operating the combine harvester have been evaluated, the investigation is still ongoing.
On that fateful day, while harvesting together in a field, a blockage was detected in the grain hopper of the combine harvester. Instead of stopping to fix it, they decided to keep running it with dangerous consequences. The young woman in charge remained seated and ignored safety protocols by not getting up when she should have stopped driving. As a result, her legs were pulled into the screw conveyor and amputated in a tragic accident.
Four months later, after much effort from authorities to interview him, they were finally able to speak with him. He confirmed that he had followed protocol and pressed an emergency stop button to save his life. His colleague’s quick thinking saved him from certain death as they rushed him to surgery where top surgeons amputated both legs to save his life.
The investigation continues as authorities work hard to determine what caused this terrible incident and how they can prevent similar occurrences in future incidents like this one.
