Bricklayer charged

17-year-old seriously affected after gas accident

The accused unskilled worker in the Vienna regional court.

(Bild: Sophie Pratschner, Krone KREATIV)

Masonry work on a chimney almost cost a 17-year-old girl her life. The girl suffered carbon monoxide poisoning because the proper gas outlet in a Viennese apartment building was blocked. An unskilled worker has to sit in the dock because of this.

On November 16, 2022, her family found the 17-year-old unconscious in the bathroom - after that, the Viennese girl's life was no longer the same. She suffered carbon monoxide poisoning while showering and suffered fatal damage to her brain due to a lack of oxygen. 

17-year-old had to learn to walk again
"I was showering after school. Then I woke up in the General Hospital. I was in intensive care and had a feeding tube and diapers," the young Viennese girl recalled in court on that fateful day. At the time, she was about to take her A-levels, which she was no longer able to do. She first had to learn to walk and speak again. She still has difficulty concentrating and has not been able to feel her fingers at all since ...

Bricklayer is said to have blocked the chimney
An unskilled worker from a construction company is said to be responsible for the accident. The attic was being extended in the family home in Vienna-Rudolfsheim-Fünfhaus, and the bricklayer who has now been charged was supposed to extend the chimney. He therefore also carried out construction work on the 17-year-old's family's chimney, sealing the shaft with a polystyrene panel so that the poisonous gas could no longer escape. 

The gas tap would have had to be turned off in coordination with Wiener Netze. This boiler should not have been in operation during the construction work.

Sachverständiger für Maurerarbeiten im Wiener Landl

He is now accused of grossly negligent bodily injury in the Vienna regional court. To which the unskilled worker pleaded not guilty. He would not have done anything differently on this job than on all previous jobs. The appointed court expert for bricklaying work also exonerated the accused: "The gas tap should have been turned off in coordination with the Vienna networks. This boiler should not have been in operation during the construction work." 

Structural engineer and site manager to testify as witnesses
The judge would like to know whether the bricklayer should have checked independently whether the gas had been turned off before starting his work. "As an unskilled worker, you have to assume that he doesn't know that," replies the expert witness. So the structural engineer, site manager and other witnesses are summoned for the next hearing.

If the unskilled worker is convicted, he will not only face up to two years in prison, but also a hefty bill. The 17-year-old victim is demanding 50,000 euros in compensation for pain and suffering. And the health insurance company has also joined in with the costs incurred, amounting to 230,000 euros.