12 vehicles collide on Niepodległości Bridge in Oświęcim; no injuries reported

In brief

• Twelve cars and trucks collided on the Niepodległości Bridge in Oświęcim early on Saturday, 7 November.
• Police report that the chain crash involved 7 passenger cars, 4 vans and 1 truck, and that no one was injured.
• The bridge was closed while the site was cleared and reopened just after 10 a.m.; the cause is still under investigation.

Chain collision in fog

The crash happened shortly after 4:30 a.m. on the Niepodległości Bridge over the Vistula, on voivodeship road 933 (Karambol na moście Niepodległości w Oświęcimiu. Zderzyło się 12 pojazdów – oswiecimonline.pl) (12 pojazdów zderzyło się na moście w Oświęcimiu. Przeprawa zamknięta – Onet). Police said a 59-year-old driver of an Iveco van lost control of the vehicle, and a following Ford struck it. Further vehicles then ran into the wreckage, and the collision grew to 12 vehicles in total (Karambol na moście! Zderzyło się aż 12 pojazdów – krakow.eska.pl).

Vehicles involved

• Passenger cars: 7
• Vans: 4
• Trucks: 1
• Total: 12

Response and traffic

Police, firefighters and emergency medical teams were dispatched to the scene (Karambol w Oświęcimiu. Zderzyło się 12 samochodów – RMF24). Police spokeswoman Małgorzata Jurecka said road conditions were difficult, with fog present and the surface possibly slippery. Police said none of the drivers or passengers were injured (Potężny karambol w Oświęcimiu. Zderzyło się 12 samochodów – Onet).

The bridge was closed to traffic while crews secured the site and removed the damaged vehicles (Wielki zator na Małopolsce. Zaczęło się od potężnego karambolu na moście – Wprost). Tow trucks cleared the bridge, and it reopened just after 10 a.m.. The road, DW933, links Rzuchów in Silesia with Chrzanów in Lesser Poland, and drivers heading to Kraków often use it.

Investigation

Police have not yet established the exact cause or sequence of the collision. Officers are continuing to examine the circumstances.