The situation at the intersection at Dorotheenstraße / Kaiser-Karl-Ring initially appeared worse. Police had sealed off the site and there were several rescue vehicles, cars with shattered windows, stunned faces and a visibly shocked carnival royalty pair. The pair had been behind the carriage when it went out of control at around 4:45 pm.

The horse-drawn carriage raced over a small bordering wall and a bollard, and continued in panic beyond Kaiser-Karl-Ring, crashing with at least two parked cars and a carnival vehicle before coming to a standstill at Ellerstraße. Emergency workers said the two injured persons were male but gave no further details.

At first, there was talk of nine injured persons who had been “sighted” by rescue personnel. Both carriage drivers and other parade participants remained uninjured. Ten persons who experienced the accident up close were taken into the equipment house of the Bonn-Mitte Fire Department. One of the horses was injured when its front legs became pinched under a parked car. It took several men to lift the car and free the horse. A witness reported that the horse was able to stand up again after it was freed. The condition of both horses is said to be stable.

Police officer Klaus Kapellner said the accident was being investigated. The report will contain a statement from a witness who said the horse became frightened after it was slapped in the rear by a person not involved with the carriage. Other parade participants could be heard describing the same sequence of events.

Despite the shock, there was some luck in the misfortune. Just 80 meters from the accident site was the traditional gathering place of many children from the cadet groups of the Honor Guard. And they were there this year as usual.

Orig. Text: Rüdiger Franz