Mladenovac Crash: Mercedes and Fiat Collide, Three Hurt

A traffic accident happened yesterday afternoon, September 3, around 4 PM, in Mladenovac, when two passenger cars, a Mercedes and a Fiat, collided.

Both cars were driven by women. The Mercedes was driven by L. S. (26), while the Fiat was driven by K. P. (55), according to Informer and Mondo, citing Telegraf.

Four children were in the Mercedes at the moment of the crash. According to information available after the on scene investigation, none of them was injured.

Three adults were injured. According to unofficial information, all three sustained minor injuries.

The sources differ on exactly who was hurt. Informer, citing Telegraf, reports that both drivers, L. S. and K. P., were injured, along with another passenger who was in the Fiat at the time of the crash. Mondo reports only the total number of injured, three, without specifying whether they were drivers or passengers.

Police arrived at the scene and are now establishing the circumstances of the collision. So far there has been no word on whether either driver broke traffic rules, nor at what speed the vehicles were moving at the time of the crash.

The exact spot in Mladenovac where the cars collided has also not been disclosed, nor whether traffic was slowed or rerouted while the investigation was underway. What both sources agree on is that this was a collision between two passenger cars, with no third vehicle involved.

The fact that none of the four children in the Mercedes was hurt sets this case apart from most accidents of this kind. Officials have not said whether that came down to a lower impact force, the use of child car seats, or a combination of circumstances that prevented more serious consequences.

Any legal classification of the incident, if one follows, will depend on the findings of a traffic forensic examination, which typically establishes the point of impact, the speed of both vehicles, and any violations by the drivers. Until that process is complete, both drivers remain participants in an accident whose circumstances are being reviewed, not suspects in a specific criminal case.

Neither Informer nor Mondo report whether the drivers were breathalyzed at the scene, or whether either of them had prior traffic violations. That information, if released, will depend on the further course of the inquiry led by the relevant police station.

The standard procedure after this kind of collision has police carry out an on scene investigation, measure braking marks and the position of the vehicles on the road, and only then draw conclusions about the likely cause. If a participant is found to have committed a violation, a misdemeanor charge follows, and only if the forensic examination reveals elements of a criminal offense against traffic safety does the case move on to the prosecutor’s office. Until then, neither driver, L. S. nor K. P., holds the status of a suspect.

Both vehicles, the Mercedes and the Fiat, will typically be held for forensic examination to check whether a fault, in the brakes or the steering mechanism, may have contributed to the crash. Results of that kind of examination usually arrive with a delay of several weeks, so the final picture of what caused this accident in Mladenovac will not be known right away.

As of this writing, there has been no further word on the injured parties’ condition, nor on whether any of them were kept for treatment or released home after receiving medical care. It has also not been stated whether the injured were held overnight for hospital observation, a usual precaution even with minor head or chest injuries. The newsroom is following the investigation and will publish further details as soon as the relevant authorities release them.