GERMANY: German bureaucracy has plumbed new depths in a case where a woman whose elderly mother was run over by a tram received an itemised bill for nearly €6,000 for tram repairs, writes Derek Scally, in Berlin.
In a tram tragedy, an 88-year- old Dresden pensioner, identified by police only as Helene U., was knocked down and killed by a tram as it pulled into a stop.
Days after burying her mother, however, daughter Thea received a letter from the Dresden Transport Authority (DVB) demanding €5862.94, including €3,487.50 for tram repairs and €1,537.44 in lost earnings for the driver.
The police investigation concluded that the dead woman, not the driver, was to blame for the accident. As she had no personal-liability insurance, her daughter was liable for the bill.
"Considering the large sum, we are naturally prepared to agree instalment payments with you," the bill said. Rather than pay the bill, however, Thea called a lawyer and countersued for the cost of her mother's funeral.
Ms Anja Erhardt, spokeswoman for the DVB, defended the company's decision to send the bill. "We did everything perfectly correct according to the letter of the law," she said.
The DVB entered negotiations to set the costs of the accident against the costs of the funeral, leaving nothing extra to be paid.