17.03.2026

Truck mount in the water

A truck mounted work platform overturned into the Pegnitz River in Nuremberg, Germany, earlier this month, dumping the operator into the freezing fast-flowing water.

The operator, 45, was trimming tree limbs hanging over the river, and was dumped into the icy cold, fast-flowing water. He was wearing a harness at the time, and we understand that he managed to cut his web lanyard and swim to the river’s bank, where a rescue team was waiting and was able to pull him onto the bank and carry him to a waiting ambulance.

The emergency services arrived within a minute or so of the machine overturning, thanks to the incident occurring right next door to Nuremberg Fire Station 1. The injured man was rushed to the hospital, where he was treated for a fractured thigh bone and extreme hypothermia.

The cause of the overturn appears to be down to ground conditions, with the riverside outrigger jacks either sinking into the ground or retracting as the platform began to tilt.
Two things immediately spring to mind: the dangers of setting up on the edge of a bank and the recommendation that when working over water, do not wear an attached harness – better to wear a life jacket. In this case, the man is extremely lucky.

The fire service attached slings between the lift and base if nearby tree trunks in order to stop it slipping further down the bank. They then drained or sealed the fuel and hydraulic oil tanks, prior to a recovery team arriving.

The video below shows a little more from the scene