Vranje: Boy, 11, Hit by Car Undergoes Surgery

An 11-year-old boy underwent emergency surgery at the University Clinical Center (UKC) in Nis after a car hit him on Thursday afternoon, September 17, in Kosovska Street in Vranje. The hospital said today that the boy’s condition is stable.

Kosovska Street is one of the busiest roads in Vranje. It leads to the industrial zone in Bunusevac, so traffic stays heavy even in the afternoon, when workers head toward that part of the city.

According to initial reports, the boy, born in 2014, was crossing the street when a car struck him. He suffered a severe fracture of the thigh bone.

He received first aid at the Vranje Health Center. Given the severity of the injury, doctors decided to transfer him urgently to UKC Nis, where his treatment continued.

Surgeons operated on the boy overnight at the Nis clinic’s Department of Pediatric Surgery and Orthopedics. He is now on that ward, where doctors are monitoring his condition.

“The boy is currently stable and is undergoing treatment,” UKC Nis said.

Police carried out an on scene investigation. They are working to establish the full circumstances of the crash, and details about the driver and the vehicle have not been released so far. Authorities are continuing to work on the case, and the outcome of the investigation is not yet known. Officials have also not disclosed how fast the car was moving at the time of the crash, or whether the driver was held for questioning.

UKC Nis has not yet said when the boy might be discharged, or how long his treatment at the Department of Pediatric Surgery and Orthopedics will last. Further information about his recovery will depend on the clinic’s doctors and their next assessment.

Vranje has recently seen other traffic accidents involving young children or parents with children. Earlier, in the city center, a car struck a woman who was with children. That was a completely separate incident with no connection to Thursday’s crash in Kosovska Street, but both cases show how exposed pedestrians are on the city’s busy roads.

Accidents in which children are hit while crossing the street are not uncommon in cities where major roads run through residential areas. Kosovska Street, which links downtown Vranje with the industrial zone in Bunusevac, is among the stretches of road with heavy traffic throughout the day, especially during the hours when workers travel to the factories.

Authorities have not yet said whether there was a marked pedestrian crossing at the spot where the boy was crossing the road. That question remains open while the investigation continues, and the answer will depend on the police findings.

According to the latest information from UKC Nis, the boy’s condition is assessed as stable. Treatment continues at the Department of Pediatric Surgery and Orthopedics, and the clinic’s doctors will decide on the course of his recovery in the coming days.

The case is another reminder that children in Vranje, as in other cities, cross busy streets without infrastructure built to separate them from traffic. Until the investigation is finished, it remains unknown whether the driver was within the speed limit on that stretch of Kosovska Street, and whether charges will be filed against him.

The newsroom will follow the case and report new information as soon as the authorities or UKC Nis release it, including any outcome of the police investigation at the scene.