Wood chip accident

“He was a hardworking farmer with heart and soul”

The farmer fell into a store of woodchippings (as shown in the symbolic picture) and was unfortunately found dead at a depth of two to two and a half meters.

(Bild: Jürgen Radspieler)

In a tragic accident in Neuhofen an der Krems, a 70-year-old farmer fell into a heating system. The father of four had not returned from his work that evening and could only be recovered dead during the subsequent search. The shock in the community is profound, as he was considered a "farmer with heart and soul".

"He was a farmer with heart and soul. You always saw him on the tractor" - Mayor Petra Baumgartner is deeply saddened. One of her local residents in Neuhofen an der Krems, a 70-year-old farmer, was torn from life in a tragic accident. Emergency services found the father of four buried under wood chips at a depth of around two and a half meters.

Family worried
The man had not returned from his farm work as usual on Wednesday evening. Initially, his wife (64) and sons went looking for him, but called the police at around 8.45 p.m. because both the old farmer's vehicles and cell phone were at home.

Buried under wood chips
In the days before the accident, the wood chip heating system had been defective, which is why the search quickly focused on the area of this system. A hole was discovered there, under which the heating system's screw conveyor was located. The fire department shoveled the wood chips aside and the 70-year-old was finally found at a depth of two to two and a half meters. The farmer probably fell into the hole while trying to loosen the pile of woodchippings with an iron bar. All help came too late for him.

The crisis intervention team was still looking after his relatives late in the evening. The farmer is survived by his wife, three sons, a daughter and several grandchildren. "The whole family always helped together," said local leader Baumgartner after the stroke of fate.

Caring family man
The estate is one of three long-established farms that gave rise to the village of Neuhofen in those days. One of the sons added vegetable growing to the farming business. The shock in the community runs deep, and the emergency services were also deeply shocked. The 70-year-old was known as a capable farmer and caring family man.