Story By: Ana Marjanovic, Sub-Editor: Michael Leidig, Agency: Newsflash
A farming family is facing ruin after their 11-year-old daughter crashed into their home with a runaway tractor.
The girl had been helping to shift silage bails around the farmyard in Silberegg, southern Austria, when she lost control of the vehicle, reports local media.
As it skidded downhill and raced towards the farmhouse, the tractor reared up into the building and came to stop embedded in the roof.
Local media reports say the 11-year-old was injured and airlifted to hospital, but police have not provided any detailed information on her injuries.
Meanwhile, it emerged that the girl’s parents will not be charged over the crash, even though you need to be 16 to get a driving licence.
Carinthian province police force spokesman Dominik Sodamin said: “The accident happened on a private property.
“Traffic rules do not apply here. We will not investigate the incident any further.”
Local media claim it is unlikely that the family’s insurers will compensate them for the damage to a hedge, a fence and the house’s foundations and roofing.
Users of a farming news website underlined in their comments that “no insurance company will ever pay in such a case.”
One reader reacted by stating: “Her dad should just find himself a quiet spot to sit and think about what he had done by allowing her to get behind the steering wheel.
“He should not dare to moan and just pay up instead.”
The remote village of Silberegg has around 500 inhabitants. It is situated in the Carinthian district of Sankt Veit an der Glan.
Agriculture and farming still play an important role in Carinthia, Austria’s southernmost province.