Firefighters rushed to help the incident on the toll section of the A4 between Katowice and Krakow. They were stuck in a heavy traffic jam on the section being renovated. – It is impossible to create a corridor of life in this place, because the manager designated two lanes and separated them with rigid barriers – says junior captain Hubert Ciepły, spokesman for the Małopolska Provincial Commander of the State Fire Service. Firefighters ran to the scene of the incident on foot and along the way asked drivers to move to the right lane. – This time no one died, but something must be done because we are asking for disaster – says Ciepły.
The incident was first reported by firefighters from the Volunteer Fire Department in Tenczynek, who went to the place where six passenger cars had collided on the A4 towards Krakow. “As a result of ongoing renovation works and narrowing of lanes, a large traffic jam was created, which completely blocked our access to the site of the incident. In order to reach the site as quickly as possible, our firefighters had to act on foot, instructing drivers how to create a passage for emergency vehicles,” we read in the entry on social media.
Ultimately, at the scene of the accident, it turned out that one person had been examined by paramedics.
Corridor of life? Not here
We are talking about the incident on A4 with the spokesman of the Małopolska Provincial Commander of the State Fire Service, Junior Captain Hubert Ciepły. He points out that it was not possible to create a corridor of life in the place where the volunteer firefighters were stuck.
– The highway is renovated very often. This time there was a big traffic jam and the cars simply couldn't move to the sides to create a corridor of life. On one side of the lane there were energy-absorbing barriers, on the other there was a rigid barrier separating the traffic lanes, the firefighter notes.
The only way for services to reach the scene of the accident was to try to redirect all vehicles from the left lane to the right lane.
– There were no fatalities in this accident. However, we must be aware that the time we lost in this event may not be available in another. We are risking human lives. The services must be able to pass smoothly, drivers must be able to give way to them – emphasizes the firefighter.
No chance
A few years ago, we pointed out on tvn24.pl that marking lanes on which a corridor of life cannot be created in the event of an emergency is extremely dangerous. We described, among other things, the story of the ambulance crew near Częstochowa, which got stuck in a road jam.
A rigid barrier was also installed there, separating traffic directions. Why? The then spokesman GDDKiA Jan Kryński said then that it was “a choice of the lesser evil”. – Unfortunately, we have to compromise with safety. This is because in places where traffic organization has changed, there is a common problem of increased head-on accidents. Drivers try to make up for time lost in traffic jams by overtaking in places where they are not allowed to do so, Krynicki said.
He explained that this is why stiff metal barriers appear in renovation sites all over Poland. – Overall, this solution is simply safer. We would not put up these barriers if we were not forced to do so, he emphasized.
Main photo source: Volunteer Fire Department Tenczynek