30 July, 2013: Nurses saved by have-a-go-boxing hero; 48 year-old jailed for abusing underage stepdaughter; Woman dies after accident on kiddie’s scooter; Are the days numbered for Basel-Land’s shoddy old trams? And the heat goes on

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Have-a-go hero AngeloGallina is being hailed for his bravery after wading in to restrain a drunken patient who was beating up a nurse in Basel’s university hospital last Friday.

Police say the incident broke out shortly after midday when the man suddenly attacked a number of nursing staff. Before boxing trainer Gallina could reach the scene, the attacker had already injured four nurses so badly that all are now on sick leave.

The attacker was in a frenzy by the time Gallina arrived on the scene, but this didn’t stop the ex-boxer from dragging the drunk away from his victim. The attacker made his escape from the hospital but was arrested by police shortly afterwards.

The identity of the attacker has not been revealed, but is described as medium height, slim and about 30 years old. He had been admitted to the hospital the previous evening but the melee only broke out after the man alleged that his wallet had gone missing.

Staff are now demanding that hospital authorities install 24-hour monitoring of the emergency department, similar to hospitals in other parts of the country.

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A 48-year-old Portuguese man has been jailed after being found guilty of sexually abusing his 12 year-old step-daughter.

The man, identified as Joao, married a Portuguese woman in March last year and brought his wife and her daughter by a previous relationship to his one-room flat in Basel.

It’s alleged that shortly afterwards the man started to abuse the girl when her mother was not at home. The man admitted some of the charges, but described himself as the victim, saying that his step-daughter had seduced him.

The court heard that the man had been convicted several times for violent offences. The chief justice told the man he had shown no remorse for his crimes and sentenced him to 15 months in prison.

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By 2018, older trams belonging to Basel-Land Transport won’t be allowed to operate in Basel Stadt. At least that’s the demand signed off by Urs Müller and 11 of his fellow councillors in a motion that will have to be decided on by the City’s Greater Council by September.

Describing Basel-Land’s ageing yellow fleet as trams made of scrap, Müller says that in the interests of the elderly,the disabled and parents with prams, in five years’ time, the only models that should be allowed on the City’s rails should be those with low floors, such as the trams introduced in recent years.

The political initiative comes against a background of both Basel Land and Basel Stadt tram companies wanting to operate the number 17 after the route is extended to go past the Badische Bahnhof.

And it’s not just the transport companies that have been vying for control of the lucrative rush-hour route. The row has also been argued about for months by both cantonal governments as well. It will be interesting to see if Müller’s calls are as vehement if Basel Stadt’s tram company – the BVB - gets to take over the route.

Also interesting is a report also out this week, stating that although the numbers of communications staff in the BVB has risen by an extra six people in recent months, morale among staff is said to be at an all-time record low.

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A woman has died following a bizarre accident after she ran into a roadwork sign while riding along a road on a small trottinett scooter.

The accident took place last Wednesday morning in Waldenburg, about 10 kilometres south of Liestal. The 49-year-old was taken to hospital with serious head wounds but died later the same day after her condition continued to worsen.

The police say the woman wasn’t wearing a helmet or other protective clothing. “Although cyclists and scooter riders aren’t required by Swiss law to wear any special protection,” says Hansjörg Thüler, head of the Sports Council for Accident Prevention, “this accident underscores the need for riders to always wear a helmet as well as knee and elbow protection.”

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The heat wave over the past couple of weeks has prompted a 50 percent rise in numbers of people visiting the region’s swimming pools.

That’s the report at least from the Rheinbad St Johann – a sectioned-off pool set in the Rhine just near the south end of the St Johann bridge.

With temperatures of 35 degrees-plus set to continue for the next few days – despite yesterday’s downpours,  pool operators at St Jakob, Bachgaben and Eglisee say that with 200 thousand visits to date, Baslers are celebrating the end of a the cold, wet spring in grand style.

And the story’s much the same in Basel-Land, with  the Gartenbad in Pratteln reporting record visitor numbers totalling some 22 thousand. “And after people return from holidays, says the pool manager, we expect numbers to double again.

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