A victim of the Christmas Market attack in Magdeburg has revealed how he was left fighting for his life after being ‘scalped’ in the horrific attack.
Local entrepreneur Ronny Pfaff had been at the event showcasing the traditional festive event to business partners he was hosting from abroad.
But as the 48-year-old enjoyed food at one of the main stalls at the market he found himself standing directly in the path of the killer driver.
In harrowing detail, the father told MailOnline how the vehicle looked like a ‘snowplough pushing bodies’ as it sped in his direction.
He said he woke up still tightly clutching the Christmas present he had just bought for his wife to find his ‘entire body covered in blood’.
‘We were eating garlic bread then something came rushing toward us with a loud crash and an unbelievable noise,’ he said from his hospital bed of the moment the horror unfolded.
‘It was deafening. It looked like a giant snowplough pushing bodies, people, and body parts ahead of it.
‘It was horrible. And it was already too late. The car was so fast, with so much speed, and I was in the firing line…. then I was hit.’
Ronny Pfaff (pictured in hospital) has told of the horrifying moment a car ploughed into him and others at the Christmas market in Magdeburg on Friday
Like many other victims, he is now recovering in hospital. Five people were killed in the tragedy
Saudi psychiatrist and anti-Islam activist Taleb al-Abdulmohsen (pictured), has been charged with the deaths of a young boy and four women
He said he woke up in shock to find ‘blood everywhere’, adding: ‘I had a Christmas gift for my wife with me, and I held onto it so tightly the whole time.
‘I was thrown away by the car, and then a piece of debris tore off my scalp. I was scalped.
‘At first, they thought I had an open skull fracture. My business partners held me down for an hour, pressing on my head.’
‘I became increasingly lethargic and had tunnel vision. I was lying in such a position that I could see the people on the ground the entire time—people being treated—and I kept hearing the screams in the background.’
He said he was marked as critical as emergency services tended to more than 200 injured people at the scene before being taken to the University Hospital where he remained last night.
The three-minute attack saw the dark BMW SUV plough at speed through the busy market leaving five dead and 41 in a critical condition.
Suspect Taleb al Abulmohsen, 50, a Saudi doctor who lived in a nearby town, has been charged with the deaths a nine-year-old boy and four women.
Mr Pfaff said he was at the market entertaining business partners from India who he has just picked from the airport.
Mr Pfaff (pictured with children Tyler and Charlene) had been at the event showcasing the traditional festive event to business partners he was hosting from abroad
Mr Pfaff (pictured outside hospital with bandages wrapped around his head) has told of the harrowing moment he woke up covered in blood
Taleb Al-Abdulmohsen was pictured in a white t-shirt (right) as he arrived at court on Saturday evening, where he was remanded on charges of murder, attempted murder and causing grievous bodily harm
The suspect (pictured), a Saudi doctor who lived in a nearby town, has been charged with the deaths a nine-year-old boy and four women.
André Gleißner (pictured) tragically died when a car rammed into a massive crowd of shoppers in Magdeburg at around 7pm on Friday night. Four adults were also killed
A woman holds a candle as others watch a prayer ceremony outside the Magdeburg Dom church, the day after the devastating attack
Hard-right demonstrators took part in a protest on Saturday after a car drove into the crowd at the market on Friday
Tributes to the victims are seen outside the Johanniskirche, a makeshift memorial near the site of a car-ramming attack
‘I wanted to show them the tradition of German Christmas markets. They had never been abroad before, and we wanted to share our culture with them.
‘But this turned into a life-changing experience,’ he added in tears.
As well as the life-changing injuries, the father has clearly been left deeply traumatised by the sheer terror he witnessed.
Describing the scene, he said: ‘The sirens, the screams… and then the rescue workers shouting, ‘Ventilation!’ I kept slipping in and out of consciousness.
‘There were single shoes lying on the ground. It was so hard to take.’
‘What you carry with you psychologically after something like this…. It weighs so heavily on your soul. People say men shouldn’t cry, but then you do.’
The businessman said he is plagued by questions over why innocent people were targeted in the attack but thanked the emergency services for doing ‘such an amazing job’.
He said there were serious questions over authorities missing several warnings about the suspect – including allegations of terror threats as long ago as 2013.
His daughter Charline Pfaff, who was by his bedside, said she grateful that her father had survived adding: ‘I am so glad that he was lucky.’