Novi Pazar to Raska crash kills driver, 23, Golf driver held
A driver died after two cars collided on the Novi Pazar to Raska highway last night. The driver of the other car has been placed in police custody for up to 48 hours.
A serious traffic accident occurred last night on the highway connecting Novi Pazar and Raska, close to the company AD Put Novi Pazar. Two cars, a Volkswagen Golf and a Volkswagen Polo, collided head on. The Polo’s driver, H.D., 23, died of his injuries. The Golf’s driver was placed in police custody for up to 48 hours immediately after the on scene investigation.
Local outlets disagree on the exact timing of the crash. Informer reports that it happened during the night between September 5 and 6. Mondo does not give a time at all, describing only “new details of the serious traffic accident.” No source checked so far gives a precise hour or minute, so none is given here either.
Both Informer and Mondo describe how the crash unfolded by citing unofficial information gathered by the outlet Sandzak Danas. According to that account, the Golf was traveling at high speed when it struck the Polo driven by H.D. The force of the impact threw the Polo toward a wall beside the road, after which it flipped onto the roadway. The Golf also spun around after the collision, then rolled backward down a side road.
The Polo’s driver briefly showed signs of life right after the crash, both outlets report, citing unofficial information from people at the scene. He succumbed to his injuries soon after. According to Informer, H.D. was an only child. He leaves behind a wife, a father, a mother, and three sisters.
Three young men were riding in the Golf at the time of the crash. One suffered a broken shoulder. The other two reportedly came away with lighter injuries. All three received medical treatment at the scene.
Traffic police and the on duty prosecutor carried out the on scene investigation. Traffic on that stretch of highway was completely shut down while it was underway, which Informer and Mondo both report caused long lines of backed up vehicles. The road returned to normal only once the investigation was finished.
The Golf’s driver was placed in police custody for up to 48 hours on suspicion of committing a criminal offense against the safety of public traffic. Until any final verdict, he remains only a suspect, and guilt is not established at this stage of the proceedings.
According to unofficial information from the investigation, the key question for the upcoming expert analysis is the Golf’s exact speed at the moment of impact. The same sources say there are almost no braking marks on the road before the point of collision, which could be one indicator of how fast the car was traveling. The results of the traffic technical expert analysis should also show whether there were other driving errors, and on which side.
A 48 hour detention is a police measure that precedes the prosecutor’s decision on how to proceed. Within that window, the on duty prosecutor decides whether to ask the court to order pretrial detention, to release the suspect to defend himself while free, or to seek additional evidence before a final decision. Any pretrial detention is decided by the competent court, on the prosecution’s motion.
The exact cause of the crash and the full circumstances that led to it will only be known once the investigation concludes and the authorities issue an official statement. Neither Informer nor Mondo has published the Golf driver’s identity or further details of the proceedings so far. The newsroom will update this report once the authorities release the official outcome of the investigation.
