According to investigators 16-second cardiac arrest probably the cause of fatal accident
A 16-second cardiac arrest in the car driver is believed to have led to the accident in Dinslaken in which two schoolchildren died. A device implanted in the woman provided crucial clues.
29.05.2026, 14:37
dpa
According to investigators, the driverwho drove her car into a group of schoolchildren in Dinslaken on Wednesday morning suffered a 16-second cardiac arrest. According to dpa information from police circles, this was the result of the evaluation of a so-called event recorder that the woman had implanted. The police assume that the cardiac arrest was the cause of the accident. "Bild" had previously reported.
According to the public prosecutor's office, the woman had already caused an accident in May last year due to a sudden fainting spell at the wheel. She was then fitted with the device. An event recorder continuously monitors heart activity. The Duisburg public prosecutor's office did not want to provide any information on Friday about the cardiac arrest.
Driving license authority: Woman was allowed to drive without conditions
The 47-year-old woman had driven her car into a group of three twelve-year-old boys - pupils from the Otto-Hahn-Gymnasium in Dinslaken who were on their way to school on bicycles - shortly before school started that morning. Two of the twelve-year-olds were so seriously injured that they later died in hospital. The third suffered only minor injuries and did not require hospital treatment.
According to the public prosecutor's office, the driver is being investigated for involuntary manslaughter. According to the responsible driving license office in the district of Wesel, the 47-year-old was allowed to drive despite the first accident. "After a thorough and final evaluation of the necessary medical documents, there was no legal basis for withdrawing the driver's license or imposing conditions," said a spokeswoman.
