Ibarska Highway: 21-year-old killed in collision between car and lorry

In a traffic accident on the Ibarska Highway, on the stretch between Ripanj and Rusanj heading towards Belgrade, a passenger from an Alfa Romeo passenger car was killed at around 5am this morning, according to media reports. The passenger was F. I. (21), whose identity has not been officially released by the prosecutor’s office. The driver of the car, M. N. (22), suffered serious bodily injuries and was taken to Belgrade’s Emergency Centre.

A third young man from the car, L. N. (22), suffered minor injuries and was also taken to a medical facility for observation. The driver of the Mercedes Sprinter lorry, M. B. (39), was unhurt, the Belgrade City Police Administration said. An on-site breathalyser was carried out on both drivers and was negative, the police say.

According to initial reports from the scene, the collision occurred while both vehicles were in motion, with the passenger car ending up off the road after the impact. Footage from the scene shows that the front of the passenger car was practically destroyed, while the lorry retained its basic structural integrity. Traffic on that stretch of the Ibarska Highway was halted in both directions for the next several hours.

The on-site investigation was conducted by traffic police and an accident expert, on the order of the Second Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office in Belgrade. The prosecutor’s office says that the precise cause of the accident will be established only once the expert’s findings are received. The pre-criminal investigation is examining whether either of the two parties involved is responsible for the accident.

Roads of Serbia (Putevi Srbije) said that traffic on the Ibarska Highway between Ripanj and Rusanj was suspended until the on-site investigation was completed, with an alternative route redirected via local roads. Drivers were advised to use the A1 motorway as far as the Ralja exit and then take the regional road network.

What is the traffic accident record on the Ibarska Highway?

According to the Road Safety Agency, the Ibarska Highway recorded eighteen traffic accidents with injuries in the first five months of 2026, four more than in the same period last year. Four people have been killed in those accidents, unchanged from the past two years.

The Ripanj-Rusanj stretch is often cited as critical because of heavy traffic in the morning hours, the presence of goods vehicles during the night and the fact that the highway is not physically divided along this section. Five of this year’s eighteen accidents took place on exactly this stretch, according to the agency.

Do you think the Ibarska Highway deserves a physical separation of the two directions? Write to us with your suggestion.