Woman Suffers Fractured Arm And Head Injury In Berlin
A Man was accused of booting a woman down a flight of stairs at a Berlin metro station hid his face as he was hauled before a court today.
Bulgarian dad-of-three Svetoslav Stoykov, 28, was identified as the beer-swilling brute who was captured in shocking CCTV footage that hit headlines around the world.
His trial for inflicting grievous bodily injury was meant to begin today but faces a delay after Stoykov’s lawyers claimed one of the panel of judges is biased against migrants. The woman suffered a fractured arm and head injury from the fall. She had a few brain scans and had to stay in the hospital for over three weeks.
Stoykov was charged last December after a number of people including Lady Gaga’s bodyguard Michael Kuehr offered cash rewards to find the thug in the video.
CCTV from Hermanstrasse metro station in the Neukölln district of Berlin showed a woman walking down the stairs towards a platform just after midnight on October 27.
She is followed by a man in a black baseball cap – who clutched a beer bottle in one hand and a cigarette in the other.
Suddenly he raises his foot and kicks the woman in the back, sending her flying down the steps before she end up sprawled on the floor with the contents of her handbag strewn around her.
One of the suspect’s three friends pauses briefly to pick up a beer bottle before the four men saunter away.
After Stoykov was identified from the video German police thought he had returned to Bulgaria where he lived with his in-laws in Black Sea resort Varna.
In fact he and his wife had gone into hiding in Nice in the South of France.
Weeks later they felt safe to return to Germany – but he was nicked after he loudly complained about a bus passenger speaking on his phone.
The driver of a Eurolines coach, who is also Bulgarian, recognised him as the man wanted for the incident and cops were waiting when they arrived in Berlin.
He was taken into investigative custody.
A Berlin regional court today heard the female victim suffered a fractured arm and a head injury in the unprovoked incident.
Stoykov is also charged in relation to two unrelated indecent exposure incidents.
Two weeks before the metro incident he is said to have exposed himself to two women in a car park in the Reinickendorf borough, and repeated the same offence 35 minutes later in front of another woman in a park.
He has no criminal record in Germany but is reportedly well known to authorities in Bulgaria where he has convictions for robbery, theft and hooliganism.
The trial was delayed on its first day as Judge Sylvia Busch said she had to schedule an entire day next Tuesday to handle a petition by Stoykov’s lawyer to dismiss one of the lay judges.
The lawyer claims the lay judge is biased after she complained in a reader’s letter to a newspaper about criminal youths with a migrant background.
If convicted on GBH charges, Stoykov could face a sentence from six months to a maximum of ten years behind bars.
Common injuries from falling down stairs
The type of injuries that can be sustained by a fall down the stairs is seemingly endless. Lower body injuries are the most common, followed by wounds to the head and neck. According to a 2017 study published in The American Journal of Emergency Medicine, sprains and strains make up about one-third of stair-related fall injuries. Here’s a look at some of the most common injuries resulting from a stair fall.
Minor Injuries:
Sprains – Joint injuries resulting from ligaments stretching or tearing in your knee or ankle.
Strains – Discomfort in in your arm, leg, back or neck muscles to due to stretching or tearing.
Bruises – A commonly bruised area is the buttocks which often take the brunt of a stair fall.
Minor Cuts and Scrapes – These can occur from contact with the stair treads or railing while falling.
Severe Injuries:
Deep Lacerations – Some more serious cuts may require stitches or other treatment
Fractures – Common candidates for broken bones include the foot, ankle, shoulder, scapula or hip.
Head Injuries – Serious falls can result in a concussion, skull fracture or other traumatic brain injury.
Herniated or slipped disk – A condition where the soft center of the rubbery disc between the neck or back bones pushes through a crack in the tougher exterior casing, which can result in pain and numbness. If you experience neck or back pain after falling down stairs, seek medical attention.
Internal bleeding – Blood vessels inside the body can be torn or crushed by the impact of a fall.
