Kessin (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern): Senior citizen drowns after falling into rain barrel | Regional

Kessin (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania) – The ladder and the barrel are still standing at the tree where the fatal accident occurred…

Dr. Ingrid W. (85) was picking plums here to bake her husband's favorite cake. She fell and drowned in the rain barrel!

Ingrid W. fell headfirst into the barrel

The accident happened on July 21, 2024, but has only now become known: The former public health officer from the small town of Kessin in the Rostock district (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania) was considered to be very agile and fit despite her advanced age. On Sunday, after her afternoon nap, she climbed the telescopic ladder in her garden and wanted to bake the cake that her husband (88) has loved so much for decades.

For inexplicable reasons, the elderly woman lost her balance on the ladder at 2:40 p.m. and fell headfirst into a large barrel filled with rainwater. Tragically, the 85-year-old was unable to free herself from the dramatic situation and drowned.

Because she did not come back into the house, her husband, a former veterinarian, went to the garden to search for her. He discovered his lifeless wife in the rain barrel and wanted to pull her out of the water. Because the pensioner did not have the strength to do so, he called the neighbors in desperation. They even helped First aid and called the Emergency servicesBut Ingrid W. could not be resuscitated.

Police speak of a “tragic accident”

“It is a tragic accident,” said press spokesman Florian Müller of the police the incident. The 88-year-old widower, who has lived with his wife in Kessin for 50 years, needed pastoral help.

The tragic accident continues to shock the neighborhood to this day. “I knew her for so many years, she was still in top shape,” recalls a neighbor with tears in her eyes. “This case is so unbelievably tragic, a chain of unfortunate circumstances.”