Tragic accident in Hungary: Woman dies after SUV driver falls asleep at the wheel
An 57-year-old woman has died and several others were injured in a head-on collision near Nyíregyháza on Friday evening, after an SUV driver reportedly fell asleep and drifted into oncoming traffic. The tragic crash was one of several serious road incidents reported across Hungary at the end of the working week.
Fatal crash on the Main Road 38
The collision occurred on the Main Road 38 (38-as főút) between Nyírtelek and Nyíregyháza, at the 34-kilometre section, where a passenger car and an SUV collided with significant force. One of the vehicles veered off the road and ended up in a roadside ditch, Tények reported.
Firefighters from Nyíregyháza used hydraulic cutting tools to free a person trapped inside the wreckage. Paramedics treated several men on-site for injuries, including limb and head trauma, before transporting them to hospital. Despite prolonged efforts by emergency teams, the 57-year-old woman could not be saved.
According to reports, the 69-year-old SUV driver fell asleep at the wheel, crossed into the opposite lane, and crashed into the approaching vehicle without braking.
The affected section of the main road was closed entirely during the on-site investigation.
Serious injuries in separate Pomáz crash
Another serious accident took place in Pomáz on Friday, where two cars collided. The impact was so severe that one driver was ejected through the window, Index reports. According to the National Ambulance Service, one man suffered life-threatening head injuries, while another was also taken to hospital with serious trauma.
Multiple vehicles collide on the M1 motorway
On the M1 motorway, three cars and a minibus were involved in a rear-end collision after a white Volkswagen ploughed into slowing traffic ahead. An elderly woman and a middle-aged man suffered minor injuries. Police have launched investigations into all incidents.
Hungary has seen a surge in severe road accidents in recent weeks, with authorities repeatedly urging drivers to take extra caution, especially during the winter season, when fatigue and poor visibility increase risks on the road.
I wish that the article had mentioned if those in the vehicles had all been wearing seat belts…if air bags had deployed, if the roadways have the grid implanted into roads which make a terrible sound when you leave your lane so that it alerts tired or careless drivers….That way we’d know better if there was a way to avoid the injuries, the fatality. AND if each driver was tested for booze or drugs!