Crane operator goes on trial in Horb over gondola fall that killed three workers

Opening of the trial

On 5 November 2026 the Amtsgericht Horb, a local court in Baden-Württemberg, opened the case against a 38-year-old crane operator. He faces a charge of negligent homicide in three cases over an accident at a bridge construction site in the Northern Black Forest. At the start of his testimony he offered condolences to the families of the three dead men, who are joined to the case as co-plaintiffs but were not present on the first day. His lawyer then read a statement in which the defendant said he had lost three colleagues and bore that loss as a man, not as a perpetrator. The defence places responsibility for the accident with the site management.

The penal order and the hearing

Before the trial, the court had issued a penal order (Strafbefehl) providing for twelve months in prison, suspended on probation, plus a 10,000 euro fine imposed as a condition of the suspension. The man objected to that order, which is why the case went to a full hearing. The court has scheduled three hearing days, and whether all of them are needed depends on the evidence, the testimony of several witnesses and an expert. The court said it is not bound by the assessment in its penal order. According to current planning, a verdict could be handed down on 26 November 2026.

How the accident happened

On 20 May 2025, a transport gondola carrying three workers fell about 55 metres at the Horb high bridge site. The gondola hung from the hook of a 105-metre work crane and was meant to lift the men to a platform at 60 metres. The investigation found that the hoist rope struck a horizontal safety rope stretched between a bridge pillar and scaffolding, then snapped, and the gondola dropped. The three men, aged 40 to 46 and including two Poles and one German, died at the scene. Prosecutors allege the operator overlooked the safety rope and began a slight slewing movement too early during the lift. They also said the tension ropes were not marked, a practice they noted was not required. Investigators concluded that human error was the cause and that technical faults could be ruled out.

The defence's account

The defendant told the court he had worked on two other cranes until the day of the accident. On 20 May 2025 he says he was told at short notice to switch to a different crane, against his wishes, and that he went along with the instruction. From his previous workplace he could not see the tension ropes and received no warning that morning, he says. The steel ropes were also not visible from his crane cab. His lawyer placed responsibility for the accident with site management. Separately, dpa reported that a man who filmed the project for an advertising agency nearly stepped into the gondola on his birthday.

The bridge project and what comes next

The Horb high bridge is one of the largest bridge projects in Baden-Württemberg. It is intended to take through traffic out of the town centre, with completion due by 2028. According to tagesschau, the accident has heavily overshadowed the project. The hearing days will determine whether the verdict date of 26 November 2026 holds. The outcome will decide whether the penal order's sentence stands as issued or is changed.