Serious crash near Indjija: firefighters cut van to free driver
A serious traffic accident occurred on the exit from Indjija toward Stara Pazova. Firefighters cut through the van's bodywork to reach the trapped driver, and traffic on the section was suspended.
- The crash happened on June 20 at around 2 p.m. on the exit from Indjija toward Stara Pazova.
- The van driver was trapped in the vehicle, so firefighters cut through the bodywork to free him.
- Traffic on the section was suspended while the rescue operation was under way.
- The number and condition of the injured were not known at the time of reporting, and police are establishing the circumstances.
A serious traffic accident occurred on Friday, June 20, at around 2 p.m., on the exit from Indjija in the direction of Stara Pazova. According to the first reports, the driver of a van was trapped inside the wrecked vehicle. Fire and rescue crews were dispatched to the scene, where they used a hydraulic tool to cut through the van’s bodywork in order to reach him.
Traffic on that section was suspended while the rescue work was carried out. Vehicles were rerouted, and emergency services remained on site throughout. Images from the scene show the extent of the damage to the vehicle, which explains why freeing the driver required a firefighter intervention.
At the time of reporting, no details were available about the number of injured or their condition. Such information depends on official statements from the relevant services, which are usually issued after the on-site investigation is completed and all data have been collected. Until then, the figures cannot be confirmed.
What is known about the circumstances?
Police are establishing the circumstances and cause of the accident. An on-site investigation on sections like this involves measuring marks, examining the state of the road surface and gathering witness statements, if there were any. Only once that work is finished is it possible to speak about the cause, which is why there are no officially confirmed conclusions at this stage.
The exit from Indjija toward Stara Pazova is part of a route used daily by a large number of vehicles. A suspension of traffic at such a point, even a temporary one, quickly creates backups and rerouting. In these situations, the services try to clear the road as soon as possible, but the safe extraction of the injured always takes priority.
Fire and rescue units are trained precisely for interventions like this. When a driver is trapped in a vehicle, the deformed bodywork often blocks the doors and makes a normal extraction impossible. A hydraulic tool, known as a spreader and cutter, allows the vehicle to be opened in a controlled way, without putting the person inside at further risk.
Why do the first minutes matter most?
In crashes with a trapped driver, time is decisive. How quickly crews arrive and how fast the extraction proceeds directly affect the outcome. That is why firefighters, the ambulance service and police are deployed at the same time at such scenes, each with its own task. The coordination between those services is often what separates a swift intervention from one that drags on.
What remains open for now is the question of the cause. Whether it was human error, a technical fault or the state of the road will be shown by the investigation. Until the official findings, any interpretation is only speculation, and serious reporting must not rely on speculation.
The accident is another reminder of how quickly a routine drive can turn into a dangerous situation. How often, passing along sections just like this, do we really think about safe following distance and an appropriate speed?
