F1 News: Ralf Schumacher In Turmoil With Local Company After Tragic Death Of His Pregnant Deer
Former Formula 1 driver Ralf Schumacher has blamed a German energy company for the death of his pregnant deer on New Year's Eve. His allegations sparked a debate, with the accused company responding to refute his claims.
Key Takeaways:
- Schumacher's Blame Game: Ralf Schumacher accused the employees of energy firm RWE of causing the death of his pregnant deer through the ignition of "extremely strong firecrackers" within his property, which is isolated by five kilometres.
- RWE's Rebuttal: In a statement to the media, RWE denied involvement in this unfortunate event. They insisted that none of their employees were near Schumacher's property when the incident allegedly took place and emphasised that setting off fireworks contravenes their internal regulations.
- Schumacher's Persistent Assertions: Responding to RWE's denial, Schumacher remained firm, citing his staff's observations of security personnel from the factory discharging fireworks before 9 pm. He stressed the importance of RWE taking measures to ensure such an incident never happens again and mourned the loss of his pregnant deer.
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Ralf Schumacher has accused a German energy company RWE of inadvertently causing the death of his pregnant deer during the New Year's Eve celebrations. Schumacher conveyed his dismay and frustration through Instagram, posting a harrowing image of the deceased animal on his farm. He directly blamed RWE's employees for this loss, alleging that they detonated "extremely strong firecrackers" in his yard. He wrote:
"I wish the workers of RWE global factory protection and the company a happy new year. Thanks to her employee, who lit some extremely strong firecrackers right in my yard, which is five km away from everything, unfortunately the animal died.
"Not to mention the panic of the horses, ponies, pigs and the many other poor animals. You can be proud of yourselves."
Responding to these allegations, RWE firmly denied any responsibility. A spokesperson for the company, speaking to Bild, stated:
“We have read Mr. Schumacher’s post and take the allegations made in it very seriously. We also regret that the animal died. In principle, it would be a massive violation of our regulations to set off fireworks during an operation; Of course, that also applies to New Year’s Eve.
“According to our findings, neither RWE employees nor employees of partner companies were at the alleged location between 9pm and 4am. In addition, to our knowledge, firecrackers were not set off by RWE or partner employees anywhere else.
“Early in the evening, young people with cars and firecrackers were found near the alleged location and were told that entering the RWE premises was not permitted. Unfortunately, we can no longer clarify whether there is a connection here.”
Despite RWE's statements, Schumacher contested their claims. He asserted that his employees saw factory security setting off fireworks before the 9pm curfew, dangerously close to where animals were housed. Schumacher expressed his deep sorrow for the loss of the deer and urged RWE to take preventive steps against such incidents in the future.
“My employees observed that members of the factory security set off fireworks before closing time at 9pm. This is incomprehensible to me as it is obvious that there are animals just 20 meters away. Every student knows that you should not handle fireworks near a farm.
“It is important to me that RWE ensures that an event like this never takes place on my doorstep again. That's why I'm relieved that RWE has agreed to take this incident seriously. There are so many other places there where you wouldn't put animals in danger. For my part, I deeply mourn the loss of one of my wild animals who was pregnant at the time of his death. It’s just tragic.”