Nis Bus Crashes Into Tree, Four Injured
A city bus operated by Nis Ekspres veered off the road and hit a tree on Pantelejska Street in Nis, injuring four people, including two 13 year old boys. The cause has not been established.
Four people were injured on Friday, September 4, when a city bus left the road and slammed into a tree on Pantelejska Street in the Jagodin Mala neighborhood of Nis. The vehicle belonged to public carrier Nis Ekspres and was running its regular route when it went off the pavement.
Local outlets disagree on the exact timing of the crash. Espreso reports the bus hit the tree around 5 PM, while Informer puts the crash at shortly before 6 PM. No official time has been released, and police went to the scene to carry out an on site investigation.
Who was hurt
Accounts of the injured also differ between the two outlets. Espreso reports that the driver, one woman and two 13 year old boys were hurt in the crash. Informer, however, states that the injured were a 64 year old driver, three female passengers and two 13 year olds. The discrepancy centers on the number of injured women, one according to Espreso and three according to Informer, while both outlets agree on the number and age of the injured children. Both sources also agree that four people in total were injured, two of them children, and that all were conscious when taken for treatment. The driver’s age, 64, is reported only by Informer; Espreso does not mention it.
Everyone injured was taken to the University Clinical Center in Nis for examination and further treatment. The two boys were examined at the Pediatric Surgery and Orthopedics Clinic. They sustained minor injuries, bruising, and were released for home care the same day after the examination. The driver and the female passengers, according to available information, suffered minor bodily injuries.
What is known about the cause
It has not yet been officially determined why the driver lost control of the bus and went off the road. According to unofficial information, the driver fell ill while driving, which could explain the loss of control over the vehicle. This claim has not been officially confirmed, and authorities are treating it as one possibility rather than an established fact.
Police are working to determine the exact cause of the accident. Until the on site investigation and any traffic engineering analysis are completed, it remains an open question whether the bus left the road because of the driver’s medical condition or for another reason, such as a vehicle malfunction or the condition of the road surface in that stretch of Pantelejska Street.
If an expert analysis confirms that the driver lost consciousness or control of his body due to a sudden medical issue, that could be relevant in assessing his responsibility, since in that case it would not be a matter of inattention at the wheel but a circumstance beyond his control. Until that finding is made, however, the claim about the driver falling ill remains unofficial rather than an established fact in the proceedings.
After the crash, the bus was left leaning with its front end against the tree by the road. Alongside police, emergency medical teams were also at the scene and treated the injured before they were transported to the University Clinical Center.
Neither Espreso nor Informer has so far reported any statement from public carrier Nis Ekspres about the circumstances of the crash, nor any information on whether the driver had previous health problems. Until the police investigation is completed and the results of any expert analysis are released, the cause of the bus leaving the road remains in the realm of unofficial claims rather than an established fact.
