The District Prosecutor in Bolesławiec has filed an indictment with the Regional Court in Jelenia Góra against 49-year-old Kazakhstani citizen Aleksander S. On the night of 9 March, the man was travelling towards Wrocław and attempted to turn around on the A-18 motorway near the village of Różyniec. He began the manoeuvre at a location without energy-absorbing barriers. The Kazakh drove across the central reservation but was unable to complete the turn smoothly. To finish the manoeuvre, the driver had to reverse. That was when the tragedy occurred. Three passenger cars—a Renault Traffic, Volvo XC90 and Mercedes C-Class—crashed into the truck standing across the motorway. The cars were travelling towards Germany. Following the collision, the vehicles caught fire. Four men died at the scene and five others were injured.
The 49-year-old truck driver faces charges including intentionally violating the rules of safety in land traffic and unintentionally causing a disaster in land traffic. Questioned as a suspect, he confessed to committing the alleged offence. The Kazakh national was remanded in custody. He faces between 2 and 12 years in prison. The man had no previous criminal record. In addition, the prosecutor’s office decided to open separate proceedings concerning the failure of employees of the General Directorate for National Roads and Motorways to perform their official duties.
(information from the Regional Prosecutor’s Office in Jelenia Góra/Marcin Zabawa)