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A security guard has died after being struck by a ride at Munich’s Oktoberfest just 10 minutes before his shift was scheduled to end.
Aleksandar Spasic, 52, was on shift at the world-famous beer festival in Germany when he was struck by a descending carriage of the “Hangover” ride about 9.50pm on Monday.
Emergency crews attended the scene and immediately began CPR on the father from Serbia, managing to revive him.
Mr Spasic was taken to hospital while resuscitation efforts continued, but he died a short time later.
The ride has a maximum falling speed of up to 56mph, although it is unclear how fast it was travelling when it struck Mr Spasic, who is 6ft7, as it slows considerably before reaching the bottom.
His wife of 28 years, Adrijana, said she had spoken to him just 75 minutes before the incident, which unfolded just 10 minutes before the end of his shift.
Their son Lazar had previously warned his dad about working at the festival because he feared he could be harmed by drunken visitors.
He had told him: “Dad, don’t go to Oktoberfest, it’s a bad place to work.”
Adrijana, 47, and Lazar said that Aleksandar had worked for the security company for three months and was extremely cautious about putting himself in danger.
Lazar said: “Just the day before, he was working at another ride when a visitor lost something. My dad was asked to retrieve it, but he refused because it was too dangerous.”
He believes a similar situation could explain why his father was inside the restricted area when he was fatally injured.
Lazar said: “Nobody is supposed to go into that area – it’s strictly off-limits. Maybe a visitor had dropped their glasses or phone, and my dad went in to retrieve it and help them.”
There is currently no confirmation that Aleksandar had entered the area to retrieve a lost item. Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding his death.
A spokesperson, Thomas Schelshorn, said officers were examining “whether someone can be held responsible”.