Police open criminal investigation into Turek's crash near Náměstí I. P. Pavlova

Prague police have opened criminal proceedings on suspicion of negligent bodily harm in connection with a crash that occurred on Monday, July 13, at the intersection near the I. P. Pavlova metro and tram station in Prague. This was announced by Eva Kropáčová, spokesperson for the Prague police.

Jakub Turek, the government commissioner for climate policy and the Green Deal, drove his Mercedes out of a turning lane directly into the busy intersection and collided with a Škoda Fabia belonging to the Na Homolce hospital, which was transporting blood platelets for a surgery.

What is known about the injured driver

The impact flipped the hospital vehicle onto its roof. The driver, a man in his sixties, suffered multiple injuries, including a head injury, and was taken to hospital. According to available information, he was driving with his emergency lights and siren activated at the time of the collision.

The police spokesperson clarified that no formal charges have been filed yet. However, her statements indicate that the suspicion of negligent bodily harm concerns Turek specifically — he himself was unharmed in the crash, unlike the other driver.

What punishment the culprit could face

Under the first part of the relevant article of the Criminal Code, negligent bodily harm caused by violating an important duty related to one's job, position, or profession carries a penalty of up to one year in prison or a ban on certain activities. If negligence results in harm to at least two people due to a gross violation of workplace safety or traffic rules, the penalty increases to three years. And if the other driver is found to have suffered serious bodily harm, the maximum sentence rises to eight years.

Police have ordered an expert assessment — likely requiring both a traffic expert's report to determine who was at fault for the crash and a forensic medical report on the injuries sustained by the hospital vehicle's driver. Results are expected within weeks, possibly months.

Turek's reaction

Turek himself lost only his front license plate in the collision and drove away from the scene in his own car. He later recorded a video expressing regret over the other driver's injuries, but did not admit fault for the crash.

"Anyone who knows the traffic rules and the layout of this particular intersection understands how it happened," Turek said, commenting on the circumstances of the collision. He had earlier claimed that his reaction "saved the life" of the hospital vehicle's driver.

After surveillance camera footage was published, Turek faced sharp criticism for his maneuver and for entering the intersection, following which he suspended his duties as government commissioner for climate policy pending the outcome of the investigation. "I believe the police will make a decision in accordance with the law, and I'm counting on that. If not — I will face the consequences, because if that's the case, then I don't deserve the public's trust. I'm simply doing everything I can," Turek said earlier in an interview.

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Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz