BMW CEO collapses during presentation, ‘recovering’

BMW CEO Harald Krueger faints during the BMW presentation on the first press day of the Frankfurt Auto Show in Frankfurt, Germany, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2015. (Uli Deck/dpa via AP)

FRANKFURT, Germany  — BMW CEO Harald Krueger collapsed Tuesday during a news conference at the Frankfurt Auto Show and was helped off stage by staff.

Krueger stumbled backward and fell on his back during the first five minutes of the presentation of the German auto house’s new lineup.

Staff rushed to help Krueger back on his feet, and he rubbed the back of his head, looking stunned as he was lifted up and led off stage by staff.

BMW spokesman Maximilian Schoeberl said that 49-year-old Krueger had not been feeling well ahead of the presentation but decided to go ahead with it.

Schoeberl said Krueger, who took over as BMW’s CEO earlier this year, was being seen by a doctor and is “recovering well.”

A round table Krueger was to hold with journalists later in the day was canceled.

BMW CEO Harald Krueger, center, gets support after collapsing during the BMW presentation on the first press day of the Frankfurt Auto Show IAA in Frankfurt, Germany, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2015. The car show runs through Sept. 27. (AP Photo/Jens Meyer)