...yes, this post is in the right section.
We're slowly driving back in the motorhome (is there any other way, you ask?) escaping from a cold and very wet Southern Germany. We'd decided on a stay at Kelheim, on the confluence of the Donau and the Main canal as we'd cycled here in the past, and it looked a good base to explore from.
The Stellplatz, however, was adjacent to a fair/festival just being set up which would be active to midnight for some days, so we moved on a few miles to Riedenburg, where we've stayed once before.
Parked up and walked back in to town to the background of many sirens. With blue lights visible it was obvious that something had happened on the road we had used minutes before. More and more ambulances arrived, several "Notarzt" vehicles, and finally the first of the air ambulances. All was very visible from the bridge into town.
The road hadn't been closed. Just a local guy waving his arms and sending people up through the town. The helicopter circled once, and then it looked like he'd head some distance away but no, one more turn and he dropped it on the road between the (close) trees, and then got the cones out of the helicopter to close the road.
If that wasn't impressive enough, a second helicopter arrived moments later, and dropped onto the canal side cycle path, closer to the accident and even closer to the trees!
Frankly, it didn't look good; a minibus sideways-on flattened to the windscreen and a car down the bank towards the canal. Lots of frantic work going on, and on-road treatment/resuscitation, so we thought it best to stop rubbernecking.
We eventually heard both helicopters depart.
Local news has scant detail other than the above, but apparently two dogs were rescued unhurt from the car.
Edit
and just updated
www.donaukurier.de/lokales/landkreis-kelheim/kleinbus-kollidiert-mit-auto-mehrere-verletzte-in-riedenburg-11195939
Last edited by: tyrednemotional on Tue 16 May 23 at 15:27
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I was once very near the front of a queue caused by a multi vehicle collision on an autobahn. I didn't go for a close look but it seemed a real mess and I was there for hours.
With no hard shoulder on what we'd call dual lane carriageway (but with unrestricted speed) the cars parted to the side of their respective lane to allow the emergency vehicles to come up the middle of the road. My recollection is that, including the small posse of road cleaning lorries which were last to arrive, 28 emergency vehicles attended. The helicopter also turned up.
I recall when I was taken on patrol twice on busy Friday evenings with a local m'way cop he said there were only 2 traffic cars covering the whole of Berkshire and into neighbouring counties at the time... that was a few years ago now!
Last edited by: smokie on Tue 16 May 23 at 15:40
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What a wonderful word “Rettungshubschrauber” is.
If you like that sort of thing.
“Rescue helicopter” if anyone was wondering.
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My only German word is unterseebooten, which has made me smile since I was about 8.
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>> My only German word is unterseebooten, which has made me smile since I was about
>> 8.
>>
Of course, I forgot bustenhalter, which still makes me titter.
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>> What a wonderful word “Rettungshubschrauber” is.
German is a very phonetic language. The German for constipation are apparently verstopfung while diarrhea is durchfall.
My daughter and a friend had a an exercise in school about about going to the chemists including telling the pharmacist what the problem was.
They acted it out as being a delicate problem that was whispered to the pharmacist who repaeated it at full volume.
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Working in Central London the 'helimed' chopper was a pretty regular sight.
Sometimes it was landed on the street where, like Oxford St or Holborn Circus but the preference was a park or similar. As the office backed onto Lincoln's Inn Fields that was often used as was one or another of the grass areas within the Inn itself. Watching the pilots ease the MD900 or whatever it was, certainly one of those with no tail rotor, into and out of a small space often flying backwards and contending with wind eddies around buildings was absolutely impressive flying.
Also seen one on the Lakes land on top of Causey Pike to evacuate a bloke who'd fallen while scrambling up onto the rocky 'knob' at the top. Upon departure it lifted to maybe 100 feet and then dived down into Stoneycroft to acquire speed before setting course for the hospital in Carlisle.
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... Schadenfreude has remained one of my favourites since I first learnt German back when Pontius was a pilot.
Such a great concept to capture in a single word, and I know of no other language that expresses it so.
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I always smile at "krankenhaus" and "krankenwagon"
(Hospital and Ambulance)
8o)
Last edited by: neiltoo on Tue 16 May 23 at 17:12
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>> Ausfart ? :)
>>
There is an astonishing number of places called that.
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.....and a confusing number of streets in many towns named Einbahnstrasse...
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There are a load of places in Italy called Uscita…
;-)
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>> There are a load of places in Italy called Uscita…
>> ;-)
And in France Autre Directions..
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…and a lot called Peage, they all charge you to get in even if you don’t want to go.
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>> I always smile at "krankenhaus" and "krankenwagon"
Krank in zimmer; sick in bed.
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Or the colloquial instead of Durchfall, Dünnschiss.
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>> Or the colloquial instead of Durchfall, Dünnschiss.
The similarity between the German words for s*** and shoot (as in fire a gun) are siad to have led to the odd misunderstanding in conflict...
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When travelling to Austria, went though a place I'm sure was called Wankarm, can't find it now.
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I've had a fit of the giggles today over a Dutch politician called Tiny Kox...
pace.coe.int/en/pages/president
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You were close. Take the arm away :)
tinyurl.com/fpjvkvv5
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I used to look after diamond recovery kit installed on a dredger off the coast of Namibia and had to be flown out by chopper (a Bell 206 JetRanger) when it needed fixing. To land on the helideck the pilot would hover off the back of the boat watching the deck rolling and pitching and start moving the chopper in sync. He'd then inch forward about 10ft above the deck and try to put (slam) it down as gently as he could. A couple of guys would then run forward and strap it down while I got out.
André, one of the pilots was ex Rhodesian-Forces and didn't like to admit defeat so he'd try and put the thing down in the craziest weather. Scared shirtless is an understatement.
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I came across these this weekend while continuing to rename a stack of negatives I scanned earlier this year.
They're shots taken from the chopper as we're about to put down on the MVS Spencer Bay. I can't remember it ever being so calm but they still have the cargo net stretched out to give deck crew something to grab if they slip.
ibb.co/MgymzJb
ibb.co/p0ygf8H
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...I thought we'd "attracted" another major incident this morning.
We're on the Mosel, and we're woken by constant low-flying helicopter noise passing up and down the valley from 06:00.
When I finally cracked and got up, turns out they're spraying the vines..... (for an hour from 06:00 ??!). The steep-sided valley magnifies the sound somewhat, and no doubt I'll be aphid-free for the season
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If you’re still on the Mosel at that time in the morning, I’d give it a couple of hours before you get on a bike! ;-)
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...SWMBO has regained her cycling Bojo mojo. First time since she broke her arm last August falling off.
A couple of 22 milers followed by 27 yesterday morning. That was along the Mosel, and then we spent the late afternoon on the Mosel in a winegrowers yard.
Staying on the motoring topic, there were 7 German registered Triumphs here, TR4 thru TR6 (one of the latter in Concours nick). Oh, and a TVR with them.
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..just revisiting this due to the strange coincidence.
As per the OP, Kelheim had been our abandoned destination then, so this year on our way back we tried again, with rather more success.
...but..
Yesterday we returned from a very enjoyable walk above and along the Donau, to find the Stellplatz (just on the edge of the Altstadt) had a helicopter hovering above it. Looked like Polizei, and it was shortly joined by another that obviously was.
We'd decided to eat at the Biergarten at the local (Schneider Weisse) Brauerei, so with the helicopters still hovering (and suspecting another RTA) we set off, only to get 100m or so before being very forcefully ordered back by a heavily-armed bemasked Polizei. Blue flashing lights all around, and all roads blocked off, but we managed to get into town along the river bank. Here, there were more armed police (not side-arms) than I've ever seen in one place before! They shuffled everyone out of the place,and as we headed off to the Biergarten the SEK arrived, even more heavily armed and bemasked.
The Brauerei seemed to be (just) outside the cordon, so, being hungry we continued to plan, and eventually the noise subsided with first one, and then the second helicopter departing.
Apparently someone had been spotted on the road adjacent to the Stellplatz brandishing a heavy weapon, and an arrest had finally been made. The road lockdown, however, continued well into the night.
Interesting and odd experience!
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Impressive Flying - smokie
