German rail security worker critically injured after falling from moving train during ticket check; suspect released by court
A 26-year-old DB Sicherheit employee was punched and kicked by a passenger during a ticket inspection on a regional train near Karlsruhe, then fell through a damaged door at 120 km/h. The 36-year-old suspect, on probation for prior violent offences, was arrested but released after a judge denied the arrest warrant.
The incident
On Friday evening, a 26-year-old security employee of DB Sicherheit was called with a colleague to a ticket check on a regional train travelling from Offenburg to Karlsruhe. A 36-year-old passenger refused to show identification or leave the train. The man, who was intoxicated and has prior convictions for violent crimes, attacked the security worker with punches and kicks. During the scuffle, both men repeatedly slammed against a train door, which investigators believe was damaged without anyone noticing.
When the security worker tried to pull the suspect up from the floor, the suspect delivered a forceful kick. The employee fell backward against the door. The door gave way, and he fell through a gap out of the train, which was moving at around 120 km/h. He was found severely injured beside the tracks and taken to hospital. A police spokesperson said his condition is stable but remains critical.
Investigation into the door
Why the door opened is still unclear. The regional train has been seized, and a technical expert has been commissioned to determine how the door could give way. A Deutsche Bahn spokesperson said the company is supporting the investigation with all available resources. Train services on the route have since resumed normal operation.
Court decision and suspect's release
The 36-year-old suspect was initially arrested after the incident. The public prosecutor's office applied for pre-trial detention on charges of bodily harm. However, the Karlsruhe district court rejected the application. The court later explained that surveillance video from the train raised doubts about the exact sequence of events. The judge also found that the suspect has a fixed residence, family ties, and full-time employment, so there was no flight risk and no urgent suspicion required for an arrest warrant. The suspect, who was already on probation for previous violent offences, was released.
The prosecution noted that for the criminal assessment, it will be crucial whether the suspect could have foreseen that his kicks might cause the security worker to fall from the moving train.
Union outrage and calls for action
The incident has drawn sharp reactions from railway unions. Manuel Amberger, state chief of the EVG union, described it as a "new, life-threatening dimension" of violence against staff.
That once again one of our colleagues is fighting for his life in hospital after a simple ticket check leaves us stunned and angry.
GDL union chief Mario Reiß demanded legal changes rather than another security summit.
We need decisions from the judiciary. We need changes to the law and we need the right to intervene.
Reiß added that employees "have to go to work with more fear every day." EVG deputy chair Cosima Ingenschay condemned the suspect's release, saying that while there may be legal reasons, for the workforce it is a devastating signal.
Rising violence against rail staff
The attack is the latest in a series of violent incidents against railway employees. According to federal government figures, the federal police recorded around 2,690 attacks on Deutsche Bahn employees last year, an increase of about 11 percent compared to the year before. In February, a train attendant in Rhineland-Palatinate died after being assaulted by a fare evader; the perpetrator was sentenced to ten years in prison just last week.
