Tragic accident on Hopfenfeld: 64-year-old dies after rod crash

Tragic accident on Hopfenfeld: 64-year-old dies after rod crash

On Friday afternoon, May 2, 2025, there was a tragic operating accident on a hop field in Neustadt an der Donau, in which a 64-year-old man was seriously injured. He was hit by a rotten rod during the breakdown work of hop rods and suffered life-threatening injuries. According to a report by Pfaffenhofen Today the man died a little later in a clinic. The Lower Bavaria police announced the details of the incident on Monday, May 5, 2025.

The incident occurred in the Kelheim district when the 64-year-old was employed with another employee to break down the hop bars. Suddenly a rotten hop bar broke and fell over, which led to the tragic accident. Immediately after the first aid on site, the man was transported to a hospital with a rescue helicopter. Despite the rapid medical help, he succumbed to his serious injuries.

Investigations and security aspects

The Landshut criminal police inspection has started the investigation, while the agricultural trade association is also involved in the case. According to the current status, there is no evidence of external participation, which reinforces the tragedy of the accident. The authorities are now investigating the exact circumstances that led to this incident to avoid future accidents.

The agricultural sector in Germany is an important employer and at the same time carries high risks for accidents at work. According to information from r+v in 2021 there were 46 accidents of work each 1,000 full -time employees, which is the highest value of all commercial sectors. Accidents in animal husbandry as well as gardening and landscape maintenance work are particularly common.

Security in the workplace urgently needs to be increased in agriculture in order to prevent such tragic accidents in the future. Incidents like this illustrate the dangers that agricultural workers are exposed to every day. The combination of physical work and dealing with heavy, potentially dangerous devices and materials requires constant vigilance and strict security precautions.