Zabalj: Cyclist Killed in Fall From Tisa Bridge
A man on a bicycle died this morning on the bridge over the Tisa near Zabalj, after being hit by a car. A Gendarmerie diving unit recovered his body from the river with help from local fishermen.
A man died this morning on the bridge over the Tisa near Zabalj, on the road between Zrenjanin and Novi Sad. According to Tanjug, the crash happened at 6:40 a.m., when a car hit a cyclist. Sputnik, citing the same source, says it happened shortly before 7 a.m., so the outlets disagree on the exact time by about twenty minutes.
Kurir writes that the car was traveling from Zabalj toward Novi Sad and struck a man riding a bicycle in the same direction, in the same lane. The force of the impact threw the cyclist over the bridge’s guardrail, and he fell into the river from a height of about ten meters. Informer, citing unofficial information, reports that the cyclist first hit the car’s hood and only then was thrown over the railing.
“It looks like the driver spotted the man on the bicycle, who was riding in the same direction as him, in the same lane, too late, so he wasn’t able to avoid him in time and hit him. The man bounced off the car and fell into the river from a height of about 10 meters.”
That is how a source close to the case described the crash to Kurir. What exactly happened at the moment of impact should be established by the on site investigation.
According to Telegraf, emergency crews were dispatched to the scene as soon as the accident was reported, including a Gendarmerie diving unit. Sources also disagree on where the body was ultimately found. Tanjug, whose account was picked up by K1 and Sputnik, reports that the body was found on the riverbank, about 100 meters from the site of the collision. Kurir, Informer and Telegraf, on the other hand, write that the Gendarmerie’s diving unit pulled the body out of the Tisa, with help from local fishermen. The bridge where the crash happened links traffic between Zrenjanin, Zabalj and Novi Sad; Kurir refers to it in its report as the Zabalj bridge.
What Will the Autopsy Show?
The victim’s body was sent for autopsy on order of the competent prosecutor’s office. Kurir reports that the autopsy will determine whether the man drowned or whether the injuries he suffered in the collision with the car were fatal. Traffic police carried out the on site investigation on the bridge.
The identity of the cyclist who died had not been established by noon. None of the outlets reported his age or the make and model of the car that hit him, nor any details about the driver. It is also not yet known whether any proceedings have been opened against the driver.
