Five Cars Collide on D11: Rescuers Forced to Drive Against Traffic

Five cars collided around midday at the 33rd kilometer of the D11 motorway, in the direction of Hradec Králové. According to police spokeswoman Michaela Richterová, everything points to one driver failing to keep a safe distance as the cause of the crash.

Rescue services spokeswoman Monika Nováková said paramedics treated one injured person. "We have one lightly injured patient in our care, who we're transporting to the hospital in Nymburk after providing first aid," she said.

Rescuers had to drive against traffic

The accident happened on a narrowed section of the highway, where ongoing roadworks made it impossible to set up the usual emergency corridor. As a result, emergency vehicles had to reach the scene by driving along the opposite lane — the one heading toward Prague.

Richterová said that by around 2:00 pm, the left lane toward Prague had been closed off, with traffic toward Hradec Králové temporarily rerouted onto the left lane. According to road authorities, delays in the area had reached about 45 minutes by just before 3:00 pm.

Repairs to continue until October

The stretch where the collision occurred falls within the zone of major roadworks currently underway on the D11 this year. The work mainly involves resurfacing the road, parts of which were originally laid back in the 1990s.

In addition to the section at the 13.5-kilometer mark between Poděbrady and Sadská, repairs are also affecting the stretch between Kolín and Chlumec nad Cidlinou. Road authorities say drivers should expect traffic restrictions to remain in place at least until October.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz