The police are still looking for the perpetrator or perpetrators of cutting down 12 trees growing along a provincial road near Grabówek in the Pomeranian Voivodeship. At the turn of September and October, an accident occurred in this place in which two very young people lost their lives. – We are analyzing whether these events may be related – says staff aspirant Piotr Kwidzński from the police in Kościerzyna.
Junior captain Mateusz Szmaglik is the spokesman for the District Headquarters of the State Fire Service in Kościerzyna. He calls what awaited drivers driving on provincial road No. 224 near Grabówek a “death trap”. – Someone cut down 12 trees so that they fell onto the road. The perpetrators cut more than half of the diameter of each tree, a firefighter reports.
Fortunately, none of them collapsed. Staff aspirant Piotr Kwidzyński from the Kościerzyna police emphasizes that it is all thanks to the fact that one of the drivers quickly alerted the services. – Everything indicates that the perpetrators used a motorized saw – says the policeman. He points out that – probably – the incident took place on the night of October 8-9.
– The trees had to be cut down because they could no longer be saved. Fortunately, we received the signal quickly, because there was a strong wind that night. The risk of trees falling was significant, admits the policeman.
About the removal of cut trees We reported on tvn24.pl immediately after the incident. As “Gazeta Wyborcza” reminds, the perpetrator or perpetrators are still elusive.
According to the police, the trees were cut with a motorized sawVolunteer Fire Department KSRG Grabówko
– We must remember that we do not analyze it only in terms of damage to greenery. The most important thing is that someone’s irresponsible action endangered the life or health of all people who found themselves on this path – points out Kwidzyński.
A trope that “cannot be ignored”
At the site of the tragedy, someone was cutting treesPolice in Kościerzyna
A week earlier (October 1, around 3 a.m.) – in a place where someone had cut down trees – a tragic accident occurred. A speeding passenger car, driven by an 18-year-old man, drove off the road and hit one of the trees with great force (it was also cut down after some time).
– There was a 16-year-old passenger in the car who died on the spot. The driver was transported to hospital in a serious condition, but his life could not be saved, Kwidzyński informs.
The accident killed the 18-year-old driver and his passenger, who was two years younger than himPolice in Kościerzyna
Can the accident and the subsequent cutting of 12 trees be related?
– This is one of the versions we are considering. This is certainly a clue that should not be ignored. At this stage, however, I cannot provide any more information, says the police spokesman in Kościerzyna.
Another similar case
We wanted to talk to the mayor of the Nowa Karczma commune about the cutting of trees, which turned the road near Grabówek into a dangerous trap. He did not want to comment, pointing out that this was not the first similar accident in the area. In January 2021, local services were alerted twice that someone was cutting trees. The case concerned the cutting of five trees on the Puc-Grabowo road and on the road near the town of Sarnowy. Both are located in Kościerzyna County. Unfortunately, the perpetrators of those events could not be arrested and the police discontinued the case.
– We are afraid that publicizing this incident may contribute to the occurrence of other, similar incidents – a local government official told us over the phone.
However, representatives of the services do not agree with this argument, pointing out that any similar incident is reprehensible and may end in tragedy.
– We are talking about trees that could fall at any moment and kill people nearby. The threat was real and you should not pass by it thoughtlessly – emphasizes the spokesman for the State Fire Service in Kościerzyna.
Appeal to witnesses
The police are asking people who traveled on the provincial road No. 224 between Nowa Karczma and Egiertów on the night of October 8-9 and have video recordings of the section of the road.
The trees were removed by firefightersVolunteer Fire Department KSRG Grabówko
– Please give them to the policemen from Kościerzyna. This may make it easier to determine and find the perpetrator of this act – appeals Kwidzński.
Main photo source: Police in Kościerzyna