Van crashes into tree near Pancevo, one killed
A van veered off the road on the Dolovo-Mramorak stretch near Pancevo and hit a tree. A passenger died at the scene and nine people were injured, the Pancevo Basic Public Prosecutor's Office said.
The Pancevo Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office said that a serious traffic accident happened today, September 16, around 6 a.m., on the Dolovo-Mramorak stretch of road. One person was killed and nine were injured.
According to the prosecutor’s office, the van was driven by M. A. (56) of Deliblato, heading from Mramorak toward Dolovo. The driver pulled out to overtake a passenger car ahead of him. During the maneuver, prosecutors said, he lost control of the van because his speed was not adjusted to the state of the road and the traffic conditions, namely fog. The van left the roadway and struck a tree with its front end, then hit the car it had just been overtaking with its rear end. The impact sent that car off the road as well.
Who died and who was injured
A passenger in the van, N. N. (64), died at the scene. The prosecutor’s office did not disclose where the victim was from, so that cannot be reported as a confirmed fact at this time.
The van’s driver, M. A., sustained severe, life-threatening injuries. He was hospitalized at the Neurosurgery Clinic in Belgrade, and the prosecutor ordered his detention under the rules governing pre-investigation proceedings.
The remaining seven passengers from both vehicles suffered minor injuries, though some of those injuries could later be reclassified as severe.
The car struck by the van carried three young men: driver N. A. (21) and passengers G. N. (23) and I. P. (23). N. A. and G. N. were treated and released for home care. I. P. was kept in the Pancevo hospital for further diagnostic tests.
Besides the victim, N. N., and the seriously injured driver, four more passengers from the van suffered minor injuries. One of them, Z. F. (37), was also kept in the Pancevo hospital for further diagnostic tests.
Investigation and next steps
The on-site investigation was led by the duty prosecutor from the Pancevo Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office, together with the police. A blood sample was taken from the van’s driver, M. A., for analysis, and the vehicle he was driving was sent for a technical inspection to determine whether it was roadworthy. The body of N. N. was sent to the Institute of Forensic Medicine for an autopsy.
A criminal complaint has been filed against the van’s driver. The investigation into the circumstances of the crash is ongoing.
