Grandmother, 62, and Grandson Killed in Bujanovac Crash
A 62-year-old grandmother and her grandson died in a head-on crash near Srpska Kuca on the Bujanovac-Vranje road; the Golf driver was held for 48 hours.
A 62-year-old grandmother and her grandson were killed on Friday evening in a head-on collision between two cars on the old main road linking Bujanovac and Vranje, in the village of Srpska Kuca. According to the prosecution, the driver of a Volkswagen Golf carrying his entire family lost control of the car, crossed into the oncoming lane, and collided head-on with a Toyota coming from the opposite direction.
The crash happened on the state road of the second A category, across from the water treatment plant. Sources differ on the exact time: Novosti and B92 report that the collision occurred around 6 p.m., Kurir puts it at 6:23 p.m., while N1, citing RTS, says it happened around 6:30 p.m.
How the crash happened
The Golf, registered in Bujanovac, was travelling from Vranje toward Bujanovac. The Toyota, also carrying Bujanovac plates, was coming from the opposite direction, from Bujanovac toward Vranje. According to the prosecution, the Golf’s driver was travelling at an inappropriate speed, drifted onto the section of road meant for oncoming traffic, and struck the Toyota head-on. The Toyota carried only its driver, a man from Vranje.
According to Kurir, the Golf was driven by the husband of the woman who died. The family of the victims, the grandmother and grandson, is originally from the village of Veliki Trnovac near Bujanovac. Novosti reports this detail only for the Golf’s driver, without saying where the Toyota’s driver is from.
The 62-year-old woman died at the scene. Her grandson died of his injuries at the Health Center in Vranje. Sources disagree on the boy’s age: Novosti, N1 and RTV report that he was two years old, while Kurir says he was born in 2025, meaning he was about a year old.
The boy’s mother, 28 according to Kurir, was seriously injured and taken to the University Clinical Center in Nis. Novosti describes her condition as critical, while a source at the UKC Nis, cited by Kurir, says she was admitted in stable condition with neurosurgical and maxillofacial injuries and remains under constant medical supervision in the neurosurgery ward.
Sources also differ on the number and severity of injuries suffered by the other passengers. Novosti reports that, besides the mother, two more people in the Golf sustained serious injuries, while the driver himself suffered only a minor injury. Kurir, on the other hand, states that both drivers, of the Golf and the Toyota, suffered serious bodily injuries. According to the prosecution, both drivers were given breathalyzer tests, and neither had alcohol in their blood.
Golf driver held for 48 hours
The Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office in Vranje ordered the Golf’s driver held for up to 48 hours over elements of the criminal offense of endangering public traffic safety. The Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Vranje confirmed the crash to the media and released the basic details of the collision, while the decision to detain the driver was made by the Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office. An on site investigation was carried out, and autopsies of both victims, as well as a traffic engineering analysis expected to reliably establish the cause of the crash, have been ordered.
After the crash, the road was closed to traffic, and police rerouted vehicles along alternative routes, from Vranje through Bujanovacka Banja, and from Bujanovac onto the old road, B92 reports.
The first reports on Friday evening, published shortly after the crash, said that a mother and child had died in the collision. It was only confirmed on Saturday, based on official information from the prosecution, that the victims were the grandmother and grandson, while the child’s mother was injured and taken to Nis for treatment.
