Drama before harvest festival: 19-year-old hit by corn chopper

A 19-year-old man got both legs caught in a corn chopper near Bremen and was seriously injured. The young man is no longer in danger of dying and was taken to a specialist hospital in Hamburg by helicopter on Saturday afternoon, a police spokesman said.

Getting caught under the shredder’s cutting mechanism

Before the start of the harvest festival in Hülseberg and during the preparations for the harvest parade, the young man went to the corn field and got caught under the cutting mechanism of the chopper during the ongoing harvest. The corn was standing tall and the driver of the chopper was probably unable to see the 19-year-old. Several media outlets had previously reported this.

There are “many speculations” as to why the 19-year-old entered the cornfield, said the police spokesman. However, he did not provide any further details. According to the fire department, the driver of the chopper as well as eyewitnesses and relatives had to be cared for by emergency services, and an emergency chaplain was also on duty.

The seriously injured man was able to be freed after just under an hour. According to the police spokesman, the possible consequences of the serious injury were initially unclear.

Similar accident in Saarland

Just ten days ago, a 62-year-old man was hit by a corn chopper in a field in Saarland and critically injured. According to police, she was walking her dog when the dog broke free and ran into the corn field.

The woman followed him and got caught in the harvester. They were taken to a hospital by rescue helicopter, but the dog also suffered serious injuries and had to be put down.