Overview

• On July 23, the Amtsgericht Brühl acquitted the 54-year-old safety officer of negligent homicide in the May 2023 collision that killed two track workers in Hürth.
• Prosecution and defense both requested acquittal following closing arguments at 14:00 local time.
• The court found that the alleged safety breaches applied to another track and that miscommunication in a telephone chain may have led the defendant to believe the line was secured.
• An Intercity train traveling at 160 kilometers per hour with a 608-meter braking distance struck the workers during routine maintenance.
• The verdict has renewed calls for clearer shutdown procedures and stronger coordination between site supervisors, safety firms and train dispatchers to prevent similar tragedies.