Ukrainian refugee killed in car crash that injured 4 others, including 2 more refugees
A head-on car accident left one person dead and four others injured near Appeltern, Gelderland. The person who was killed was reportedly a young man from Ukraine who was residing in the Netherlands as a refugee.
Two of those injured were in the same vehicle as him. They are also believed to be refugees who live in a shelter in Altforst, according to De Gelderlander. The two people in the other vehicle, one of whom was injured, are believed to be from the Netherlands.
“Bystanders pulled the victims out of the cars,” police said in a statement. The four victims who were hospitalized were in serious or critical condition. Attempts were made to revive the victim who died from his injuries at the scene.
Witnesses told the local newspaper that one of the two cars had taken three laps around a small roundabout just up the road, before driving east towards the other vehicle. The second vehicle could not swerve out of the way in time. Police said the witness report was part of their investigation but a cause had not been determined.
The incident happened on the Dijkgraaf de Leeuwweg, a road just big enough for two vehicles traveling in opposite directions. The straight stretch of road is designed in such a way where oncoming traffic have to make use of bike lanes when passing each other. The accident happened just before 2 p.m. on Sunday according to emergency services records.
The two cars were badly damaged in the crash. Investigators were still at the scene four hours later. A group of about ten friends and family of the victims visited the site of the accident and were visibly shaken, De Gelderlander reported.
Area residents said accidents are not common on the stretch of road.
