21-year-old seriously injured in forest work-rescuers hurried immediately!

21-year-old seriously injured in forest work-rescuers hurried immediately!

Bezirk St. Veit an der Glan, Österreich - A serious forest accident occurred on July 15, 2025 around 11 a.m. in the St. Veit district on the Glan. A 21-year-old man worked for a storm in the forest when cleaning up when he pulled several trees when using a forest rope winch on the tractor. The situation escalated when a third, unsecured tree trunk was torn, which led to serious injuries to the young man's head and upper body. To get help, despite his injuries, he dragged 100 to 200 meters to the next municipal road.

The injured person met a 42-year-old forest owner on the way, who immediately provided first aid and initiated the rescue measures. An emergency doctor was alerted and the man was flown to the Klagenfurt Clinic with the emergency doctor helicopter C11. The fire brigades St. Georgen OB Strasbourg and Strasbourg with three vehicles and a total of 15 emergency services were also involved in the operation.

First aid and accident prevention

Serious forest accidents are unfortunately not uncommon in Austria. Even if the total number of work accidents in forestry from 1,475 fell from 1,475 in 2019 to 1,080 in 2023, the number of fatal accidents rose from 26 to 30 in the same period as the AUVA reported. Accidents due to the loss of control over tools as well as by falling trees are particularly common. Bauernzeitung emphasizes that many of these accidents are avoidable by proper use of work equipment and the attention of security measures.

The first aid measures that should be taken in emergency situations include a clear overview of providing the data subject, providing an emergency call and supporting the rescue workers. One of the first steps is to secure the environment of the injured person and to check them for life-threatening dangers. ForestBook describes this procedure in detail.

safety precautions in the forest

Additional safety rules can also contribute to avoiding forest accidents. According to the AUVA, workers in the forest should never work alone, plan enough time for work and use suitable tools. In addition, the use of personal protective equipment such as helmets, gloves and cut protection pants is essential. Regular training and the willingness to consult experts in case of doubt are other important aspects for security in forest work.

The importance of training is also underlined. Forest training centers in Traunkirchen and Ossiach offer practice -oriented further training. These measures help to lower the number of forest accidents and to sustainably improve occupational safety in forestry.