Approximately twenty horses escaped from a pasture in Saxony on Friday and entered a railway line near Bautzen, causing a multi-hour suspension of train traffic. On the same day in Radebeul, a spooked horse pulling a carriage crashed into a wall, damaging the vehicle. Both incidents, which occurred on February 27, 2026, disrupted transport in the region and required emergency services intervention. Media also report accidents involving horses and vehicles in Switzerland, indicating a series of unusual traffic events in Central Europe.
Rail Paralysis Near Bautzen
About 20 horses escaped from a pasture and made their way onto railway tracks near Bautzen in Saxony, forcing operator Deutsche Bahn to completely halt train traffic. The operation to secure the animals and remove them from the tracks lasted several hours, causing significant delays in regional and freight transport.
Carriage Accident in Radebeul
In Radebeul, also in Saxony, a spooked horse pulling a carriage veered off course and crashed into a wall. The vehicle was seriously damaged. The exact condition of the driver is not specified in available reports, but the incident required emergency services intervention and blocked traffic in the area of the accident.
Incidents in Saxony and Switzerland
The events in Saxony were part of a broader series of dangerous incidents involving livestock in Europe that day. In Switzerland, in the canton of Bern (Lotzwil), a car collided with a carriage, killing the two draft horses. Furthermore, on the Swiss A9 motorway, a truck accident led to the closure of both the road and the adjacent railway line.
Safety Issues on Transport Routes
The accumulation of similar incidents in a short time put emergency services in Germany and Switzerland on heightened alert. Experts point out that transitional periods and variable weather conditions can increase animal nervousness, which, combined with insufficient pasture fencing security, leads to hazards on roads and tracks.
Friday, February 27, 2026, brought a series of dangerous traffic incidents in Central Europe, with horses as the common theme. In the German Saxony, two serious incidents occurred. The most severe took place near Bautzen, where about twenty horses escaped from a pasture. The animals made their way directly onto the railway line, forcing the operator Deutsche Bahn to immediately and completely halt train traffic on that section. The operation to secure the scattered herd and remove them from the tracks was complicated and time-consuming, lasting several hours. As a result, passengers and freight transport in the region experienced significant delays, and local public transport was severely disrupted. Rail traffic was only restored in the early afternoon, after the animals were successfully led back to a secure area. The second event in Saxony unfolded in the town of Radebeul, located near Dresden. There, a spooked horse pulling a carriage suddenly veered off course and crashed into a wall. The force of the impact was so great that the vehicle was seriously damaged. Although available media reports do not specify the driver's condition, the incident itself required emergency services intervention and caused traffic disruptions in the vicinity of the accident. Both Saxon incidents show how unpredictable animal behavior can quickly paralyze key transport routes. Parallel to the events in Germany, similarly dangerous situations involving horses and vehicles were reported in Switzerland. In the municipality of Lotzwil, in the canton of Bern, a car collided with a carriage. The collision proved fatal for the two draft horses. The car driver did not sustain serious injuries, but material and emotional losses were significant. Furthermore, in the Chablais region, on the A9 motorway, a serious truck accident led to the complete closure of this important route and the adjacent railway line managed by SBB (Swiss Federal Railways). Both Swiss events, like those in Saxony, caused multi-hour traffic paralysis at critical points in the Alpine infrastructure. In total, within a single day in two countries, at least four serious incidents occurred where horses played a central role. The accumulation of such incidents in such a short time put emergency services and road managers on high alert. Traffic safety experts remind us that transitional periods, associated with variable weather, can negatively affect the behavior of livestock. Combined with potentially insufficient pasture fencing security, such situations pose a real and recurring threat to both road and rail traffic.