Bus-Lorry Collision in Liptovska Osada Claims One Life, Several Injured

Liptovska Osada, 17 February (TASR) - A serious road accident took place in the village of Liptovska Osada (Zilina region) early on Tuesday morning when a bus collided with a lorry, leaving one person dead and several others injured, spokesperson for the Emergency Medical Service Operations Centre Petra Klimesova has told TASR.
        There were 26 passengers of various nationalities on board the bus during the accident. The bus caught fire following the collision, but the passengers managed to get off in time. However, the bus driver sustained injuries to which he succumbed at the scene, Zilina regional police spokesperson Daniela Kockova has told TASR.
        The Polish Foreign Affairs Ministry has also commented on the accident for the Polish PAP agency. According to its statement, the dead person was a Polish national. Ministry spokesman Maciej Wewior specified that several passengers were injured as a result of the accident and the subsequent fire on the bus.
        "The driver of the bus, which was heading from Krakow to Budapest, for as yet unknown reasons strayed onto the wrong side of the road, where he collided with an oncoming lorry carrying timber," said Kockova, adding that the lorry driver underwent a breathalyser test with a negative result and that a road transport expert was called to the scene. An autopsy will be ordered in the case of the deceased.        
        Klimesova specified that four ambulances were dispatched to the scene of the road accident shortly before 3 a.m. "A 53-year-old man with multiple injuries was transported to hospital in Ruzomberok, while a 47-year-old woman with head and thigh injuries was taken to hospital in Banska Bystrica. A 37-year-old patient with head and upper limb injuries refused transport to hospital and was taken by evacuation bus to a police station along with the other passengers," said Klimesova.        
        "The case has been taken over by an investigator of the District Police Directorate in Ruzomberok. Other circumstances and causes of the tragic road traffic accident are the subject of an investigation," added Kockova.
        The Fire and Rescue Corps' (HaZZ) Operations Centre in Zilina reported that 16 firefighters from Ruzomberok, Martin and Banska Bystrica were helping at the scene of the accident, using eight pieces of equipment.