The accident occurred in the middle of the night on the A20 motorway in Tarn-et-Garonne.
Around 2 a.m., a car hit a bale of straw installed by farmers near the Montauban Nord tollbooth, the Montauban prosecutor told AFP, confirming information from France Bleu.
The accident occurred "at 2:10 a.m. on the A20 before exit no. 60 of Montauban in the direction of Paris/Toulouse" when a vehicle carrying "three people collided, in thick mist and wet roads, with a barrier made up of bales straw erected by farmers,” prosecutor Bruno Sauvage said in a press release.
It was indicated that it was necessary to leave the highway at the previous exit, but “the driver continued on his way,” according to the text, adding that “only the two passengers, a 20-year-old man and a 26-year-old woman, were slightly injured and transported to Montauban hospital for various checks.”
The driver heard by investigators
The driver, aged 22 and holding a driving license, was subjected to alcohol tests, which turned out to be negative, the press release added.
It is understood “in order to determine the exact circumstances of this accident”, further specified the prosecution, which opened an investigation into involuntary injuries by a driver with total incapacity for work (ITT) of less than three months.
07:15 a.m.: ⚠️ #demonstrations are affecting traffic conditions on #A20.
⛔ The #A20 is cut in the Montauban sector towards Brive and Toulouse.
Listen to @Radio1077 and find out before traveling to this area.
#TrafficInfo
— A20 Motorway (@A20Trafic) January 25, 2024
This is the second road accident to occur at a farmers' blockade since the start of the movement.
On Tuesday, a farmer and her daughter died in Ariège after being hit by a motorist on an RN20.
Alexandra Sonac and her daughter Camille were behind a wall of straw bales in Pamiers when the vehicle hit it shortly before 6 a.m.
Their father was seriously injured.
A prize pool will be opened online to help their loved ones.
A truck and a tractor destroyed on the RN145
In Creuse, farmers also had a big scare last night.
A truck and a tractor were badly damaged in a collision that occurred around 4:30 a.m. at a roadblock established on the RN145 in Guéret, France Bleu reported.
According to our information, the driver of the heavy goods vehicle took two lanes in the direction of Montluçon from the Espérance area where he had rested.
He told authorities that the traffic signs, which were supposed to prevent entry onto the road, had been moved to the side.
“Surprised by lights” at interchange no. 48, the French driver managed to avoid a first tractor, before hitting a second, fortunately empty.
No one was hurt.
The collision occurred near a group of farmers sheltering under a barn.
“I was lucky not to have slept in the tractor, I would have died,” the owner of the tractor told France Bleu.
We were also lucky that the truck was able to stop because it would have mowed us down.
» The RN 145 remains closed to traffic this Thursday.