The tragic accident occurred on Friday, October 16, 2026, at around 3:50 p.m. According to the prosecutor’s office’s findings, 49-year-old Grzegorz Z. from Jerzmanice-Zdrój was driving an Audi toward that town. While overtaking a lorry, he moved into the opposite lane, where he collided head-on with a Seat Ibiza traveling correctly.
A 25-year-old woman was at the wheel of the Seat, while her husband was traveling in the passenger seat. His 14-year-old son was sitting in the back seat.
The woman suffered extremely serious injuries and died at the scene during resuscitation. The doctor who arrived attempted to save the child by performing a cesarean section, but the attempt was unsuccessful.
The woman’s husband suffered internal injuries and numerous fractures, including to his head, chest, pelvis and legs. He was airlifted by the Polish Medical Air Rescue service to a hospital in Legnica. The teenager did not suffer serious injuries.
He was rushing to a plumber’s appointment
Investigators established that the Audi driver was returning from work and was hurrying home for a scheduled plumber’s appointment.
Before overtaking the lorry, he had also sharply overtaken a Škoda traveling directly in front of him. He then began overtaking the lorry even though a Seat was approaching from the opposite direction.
After the collision, the Seat went into a ditch, while the Audi stopped across the roadway. The Škoda then struck the stationary Audi, as its driver was unable to avoid the collision. The course of the accident was recorded by a camera mounted in the latter vehicle.
Grzegorz Z. was detained. He was sober, but a tester detected the presence of intoxicating substances in his saliva, so his blood was collected for further testing.
The man was charged with intentionally violating road-traffic safety rules by improperly carrying out an overtaking maneuver, which led to the woman’s death and the death of the fetus, as well as bodily injuries to the Seat’s passenger.
The suspect confessed to the alleged offense, gave extensive explanations and expressed remorse. At the same time, he denied driving the car under the influence of drugs.
The District Prosecutor’s Office in Złotoryja asked the court to order three months of temporary detention for the 49-year-old. However, the District Court in Złotoryja decided to apply non-custodial preventive measures.
The suspect was placed under police supervision and banned from leaving the country, as well as from leaving his place of residence for more than three days without the prosecutor’s consent. He is also prohibited from contacting or approaching witnesses within less than 50 meters.
The court also ordered a property surety of 30,000 złotys, citing the suspect’s stable life situation.
Prosecutor to appeal
The prosecutor disagrees with the ruling and announced that an appeal would be filed.
Penalty
For the alleged offense, the man faces between six months and eight years in prison. If tests confirm that he was driving under the influence of intoxicating substances, he could face between five and 20 years in prison.
The investigation is ongoing. The prosecutor’s office is awaiting the toxicology results, an autopsy to be conducted in Wrocław, and an expert opinion concerning the injuries suffered by the deceased woman’s husband.
Photos: Dolnośląskie Alarmowo.
