Car hits stopped van near Coka, driver (84) killed
On the road between Ostojicevo and Padej near Coka, a car struck a stopped van. The driver, 84, died at the scene and seven van passengers were hurt and taken to hospital in Senta.
- On the road between Ostojicevo and Padej near Coka, a car struck a stopped van in the early morning.
- The car's driver, a man aged 84 from Coka, died at the scene.
- Seven people, all passengers in the van, were injured and taken to the General Hospital in Senta.
- An investigation is underway, and traffic ran alternately along a single lane.
A serious road crash struck northern Banat early on Friday. On the road linking Ostojicevo and Padej, on the stretch near Coka, one man was killed and seven others were injured.
The collision happened at around 4:50 a.m. According to first reports, a car ran into the front of a van that was stopped on the roadway. The impact was such that the driver of the passenger car died on the spot.
The dead man was 84 years old and from Coka. He was alone in the car. By accounts from the scene, help did not reach him in time.
What is known about the injured
All seven of the injured were passengers in the van. Ambulance crews took them to the General Hospital in Senta, where they received treatment.
For now, nothing official has been said about the severity of the injuries. Hospitals usually withhold such details until patients are stable. So it remains an open question whether anyone is in a life-threatening condition.
Crashes with several injured in a single vehicle are not rare on flat trunk roads. Vans carrying workers and travelers are common in this part of Banat. When such a vehicle is full, a single impact can cause many injuries.
Why was the van stopped on the road?
This is a question the investigation still has to answer. Officially, it is stated only that the van was stopped on the roadway at the moment of impact. The reason for stopping has not been confirmed.
By unofficial accounts, the van driver had halted after missing a turn. That version has not been confirmed by official sources for now. Until the on-site inquiry is finished, it should be treated with caution.
Police carried out the investigation together with the prosecution. Traffic on the stretch was disrupted for a time. Vehicles were let through alternately, along a single lane, while experts worked at the scene.
The exact sequence of events will be established by an expert examination. It should show how fast the car was moving, how good visibility was, and whether the van was properly marked. Until then, no one can speak of liability.
Fatal road crashes remain a frequent cause of death on Serbia’s roads. Each such case raises the same questions about speed, fatigue, and visibility. How much attention do you think the authorities pay to these stretches away from the big cities?
