A block of ice fell from the truck, seriously injuring the woman

A series of dangerous events in the Garwolin district (Masovian Voivodeship). On Tuesday morning, a piece of ice broke off the roof of the truck and hit the windshield of the vehicle behind the truck. The passenger was injured in the head. The police have already intervened in similar incidents on the S17 route.

The accident, caused by a truck that had not cleared snow, occurred on Tuesday after 11 a.m. on national road number 76 in Słupno PRZE, near Garwolin. A block of ice fell from the roof of the truck onto a Volkswagen traveling in the opposite direction. As a result of the impact, the ice cut across the entire width of the windshield and fell into the car.

“The impact was so severe that the passenger was taken to hospital with facial injuries. The driver of the truck drove away from the scene, probably not even noticing the whole incident,” says Deputy Commissioner Małgorzata Pychner from the District Headquarters in Garwolin.

In addition to police officers and the medical rescue team, firefighters also appeared at the scene of the accident.

Crashed vehicles on the expressway

Two other drivers were punished. On Friday, pieces of ice from a truck semi-trailer on the S17 route in Sulbiny (Garwolin County) shattered the window of a Citroen passenger car. The driver of the passenger car was not injured, but the car was not suitable for further driving. On Saturday, also on the S17 route in its Garwolin section, a block of ice fell from the roof of a truck and hit a Skoda. Although there was a large hole in the window on the left side of the vehicle, the driver was unharmed.

“For causing a threat to road safety, the drivers of trucks (from which ice fell – ed.) were fined over PLN 1,000 and 10 penalty points,” says Deputy Commissioner Małgorzata Pychner from the District Headquarters in Garwolin.

Police about preparing the vehicle in winter

The policewoman reminds that driving with a vehicle that has not been cleared of snow is not only dangerous, but is also a violation of the regulations. “In many cases, there is no damage to the vehicles, but a big problem is the reaction of the driver who, in order to avoid a piece of ice flying towards him, may lose control of the car on a slippery surface with a sudden movement of the steering wheel,” warns Assistant Commissioner Pychner.

In the press release, the officers also remind that Art. 66 of the Road Traffic Law obliges the driver to maintain the vehicle in such a condition that its use does not endanger the safety of its occupants or other road users and does not expose anyone to harm.