My Apple, my Life-Saver?
As I slowly recuperate, let me tell you about the dangers of going by train and about the potential additional usefulness of an Apple Laptop …
Last Thursday, I went to Rosenheim. We had scheduled a workshop at atunis for 9.30 a.m. The train ride from Ottobrunn to Rosenheim is 54 minutes in total (including changes of train at Ostbahnhof). You spend 29 minutes of the ride on board the EC 111, which is supposed to arrive in Rosenheim at 9.04 a.m..
The first news of the morning was good news: the EC 111 to Klagenfurt arrived on time at 8.35 a.m. at Ostbahnhof! After I boarded, I immediately found a vacant seat in a 2nd class compartment of Austrian origin. I shared the compartment with two other travellers.
I carried my 17-inch-ebook with me because I was going to need it for the workshop. During the train ride, I wrote a few emails and did my final preparations. As we entered Rosenheim railway station, it happened: a huge suitcase came tumbling down from above and fell on me. It was a suitcase the size of which I have seldom seen. Also, it was rather heavy. Most likely, it was heavier than would have been allowed for air travel.
My ebook literally reared up on my knees, and I felt like a bolt of lightning had shot through me, almost like sitting on the electric chair. The computer was totally damaged. Initially, I did not feel any damage on my person.
The owner of the suitcase was very concerned and gave me his address, promising that he will hand all information about the accident to his insurance. Then I left the train and went to the workshop via the beautiful “Rosenheimer Bahnhofssteg”.
In the evening, I noticed that several parts of my body (neck, back, pelvis) were dislocated. I had not noticed this during the initial shock phase. Fortunately, everything seems to be fine by now.
So: I was very fortunate …
Of course, the suitcase was far too big for the small rack. It should never have been stowed there. The conductor should certainly have noticed it and warned us when he came to check our tickets shortly before the accident happened. And, of course, in the future I will always look up before sitting down in a train to see if maybe some dangerous burden might threaten to come tumbling down.
Personally, I would be in favour of someone simulating the accident with a dummy, or at least with the methods of virtual reality. That would make it possible for me to see on a video or computer screen what actually happened to me.
Is anybody going to do that for me?
RMD
(Translated by EG)
P.S.
For me, the hope remains that the damage will be made good for without complications. And there is something positive along with all the negative news: three days before my accident, Apple announced the clearance for the new ebook prototypes
Loading ...