A dad killed by an Oktoberfest ride may have entered a danger zone to retrieve a visitor’s lost phone or glasses – just 10 minutes before his shift ended.
Aleksandar Spasic, 52, was working as a security guard at the “Hangover” ride at the world-famous festival in Munich, Germany, when he was struck by a descending seat.
The Serbian dad, who stood up to 6ft 7in tall, suffered devastating head injuries in the impact.
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The ride has a maximum falling speed of up to 56mph, although it is unclear how fast it was travelling when it struck Aleksandar, as it slows considerably before reaching the bottom.
Emergency crews rushed to the scene and immediately began CPR, managing to revive him.
Aleksandar was taken to hospital while resuscitation efforts continued but died a short time later.
The horror unfolded at around 9:50 pm on Monday (21 September) – just 10 minutes before the end of his shift, as reported by Need To Know.
His wife of 28 years, Adrijana, had spoken to him just 75 minutes before the tragedy.
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 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.
Spokesman Thomas Schelshorn said officers were examining “whether someone can be held responsible”.
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