Collision of two trams at the Starołęka roundabout in Poznań. According to the services, 31 people were injured in the incident, almost all of them were hospitalized. One of the drivers was trapped in the vehicle. Helicopters of the Polish Medical Air Rescue took part in the rescue operation.
The police have just completed an inspection after an accident at the Starołęka roundabout in Poznań. There, at 11.45, two trams number 7 and 12 collided. One of them was standing at the stop, the other was just approaching it. Initially, the services informed that a dozen or so people were injured in the accident. However, this number grew very quickly. The balance of the injured – provided by emergency services – is 31 people – 29 of them were transported to several hospitals in Poznań, as well as to the facility in Puszczykowo near Poznań.
“Two people were classified as serious”
– The first team to arrive reported what was happening and asked for help. Ultimately, seven teams were involved on site. A mass incident procedure was also implemented. All hospitals have been informed about this situation – informed TVN24 Jakub Wakuluk from the Provincial Ambulance Station in Poznań.
The injured were assisted in the bus provided by MPK. If someone required hospitalization, that person was transported by ambulance, assisted by the police, to the hospital. – Out of three people, two were eventually classified as serious. Among them is a tram driver. He was conscious, he has a spinal injury, but the man had sensation in his lower limbs, so we hope it’s nothing more than that. In the rest of the injured, we deal mainly with limb fractures and abrasions. Two people refused to help – pointed out Wakuluk.
Two LPR helicopters landed on the spotTVN24 / Hubert Remlein
Firemen also showed up. It was they who helped the tram driver, who got stuck in it, to get out of the cabin. Firefighters and policemen focused on helping, organizing detours and improving traffic.
Collision of two trams at the Starołęka roundabout in PoznańTVN24
MPK: hit a tram standing at the stop
The circumstances of the accident will be investigated by the Poznań police. – According to the preliminary findings of our officers, the driver of line 12 ran over the back of the tram number 7 in front of it – said Marta Mróz, a spokeswoman for the Poznań police.
Similar information is provided by MPK. – Tram line 12 hit the tram line 7 standing at the stop. It happened at the stop, at the entrance to the roundabout – said Agnieszka Smogulecka, spokeswoman for MPK Poznań. And she added that it is not yet known how many people traveled in the vehicles of the municipal carrier.
The driver of the vehicle that was to drive into the back of the second tram was an MPK employee with many years of experience. According to the police, the man was sober at the time of the incident. When asked why the tram line 12 hit the tram line 7, a special MPK commission will also seek the answer.
A collision of trams in PoznańTVN24
Difficulties in the Starołęka family
After the accident, the Starołęka roundabout was excluded from tram traffic. There are detours for the tram lines: line 1 and 7 in both directions runs through 28 Czerwca – Górna Wilda – Strzelecka – Rocha Bridge, line No. 11 has been shortened to the Głogowska / Hetmańska intersection, line No. 12 has been shortened to the Dębiec terminus, line No. 17 has been shortened to Unii Lubelskiej, while lines 9 and 13 to Unii Lubelskiej go through Górny Taras Rataj. For passengers, a bus for a tram was launched on the route Kórnicka / Jana Pawła II – Rondo Rataje – Rondo Starołęka – 28 Czerwca / Hetmańska.
Car drivers also have problems in the area of the Starołęka roundabout. Big traffic jams are forming here. City services and authorities urge you to avoid the scene and choose an alternative route.
– The policemen have already completed the inspection of the scene. Currently, cleaning works are underway, vehicles are being removed from the track to improve and restore traffic. However, taking into account the dimensions of these vehicles and their damage, it is difficult to say how long this action may take, said the spokeswoman of the Poznań police, Marta Mróz.
MPK teams are trying to remove trams from the track.
Removal of damaged MPK vehiclesTVN24 Poznań
The incident took place at the Starołęka roundabout in PoznańGoogle Maps
Main photo source: Jakub Kaczmarczyk / PAP