An uncommon road accident.
Nineteen people were injured this Friday, hit by a car in the center of Szczecin in north-west Poland, the region's prefect said, with police ruling out a "terrorist act".
“Among the injured are six children.
Two injured people are in critical condition,” said Adam Rudawski, prefect of the region, adding that the driver was arrested after fleeing.
“This is not a terrorist act,” Szczecin police spokesman Pawel Pankau told reporters.
The terrorist trail ruled out
“He is a 33-year-old Polish citizen,” he said, adding that the number of people injured could change.
According to him, “the man driving a Ford Focus hit a group of people waiting for the tram” on a major intersection in Szczecin with protected crossings.
“The very first analyzes indicate that he was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs,” said Pawel Pankau.
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According to witnesses, cited by the Polish press, the driver arriving at the intersection at high speed veered onto the protected crossing, the sidewalk and the tramway, knocking over people.
After crossing the intersection, he fled in his car, causing a collision with three vehicles about a kilometer further and injuring their drivers.
The man was arrested.