Berlin's Winter Woes: Ice Patches Terrorize City Streets
Berlin's sideways have transformed into a winter wonderland of ice patches, clods, and humps. Hans-Christian Bustorf, spokesperson for the Unfallkrankenhaus Berlin (UKB), revealed that the hospital has seen a spike in patients suffering from fall-related injuries.
Initially, the UKB reported around eight patients per day, but the number surged drastically to thirty cases on Monday. By Tuesday lunchtime, ten more patients needed medical attention after accidents on the slick sidewalks. The injuries range from head wounds to fractured femoral necks and broken ankle joints.
Other hospitals, such as Charité and Vivantes, are also experiencing an influx of injured patients due to falls since the adverse weather began. Reported injuries include fractures of the arms and legs, chest, and pelvis. Neukölln Hospital alone is seeing approximately a third more patients daily due to the weather conditions.
The difficult icy conditions pose a challenge for the Berlin fire department rescuers, with emergencies becoming increasingly frequent. Recently, state-of-emergency declarations have become a common occurrence, in some cases, even twice a day.
Older individuals, like Rita Krüger (79) from Mitte, find it challenging to leave their homes due to the icy conditions outside their front door. "It's as slippery as glass outside," she says, having almost fallen several times. Her housing association has been informed multiple times about the issue but has yet to address it.
BSR and private gritting services remain in high demand. Franziska Hoffmann from the company "Im Norden" confirms that her company and their over 150 employees have been hard at work clearing over 9500 properties in Berlin. Even the police have requested their assistance to clear a dangerous road junction.
Berliners can report icy roads to the public order office and the incident management system (AMS). Residents are responsible for maintaining their sidewalks. Failure to meet these obligations could result in fines of up to 10,000 euros.
Compensation claims can be made against individuals responsible for injured parties who have slipped and fallen on poorly maintained sidewalks. The Marzahn-Hellersdorf district office has received 33 complaints, while the Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf public order office acknowledges an increasing number of non-compliant cases.
In a nutshell, Berlin's icy conditions have led to a surge in hospital admissions due to falls, particularly among elderly individuals. The city is urging residents to exercise caution and prioritize clearing sidewalks to ensure safety. Private gritting services are assisting with the effort as the public order office processes complaints and fines.
