Poland bus disaster of 1994
Encyclopedia
Poland's bus disaster of 1994 was a bus
crash near Gdańsk
involving a commuter bus PKS
(Polska Komunikacja Samochodowa) that veered into a road-side tree. In the accident, 32 people died and 45 were injured.
of Monday, 2 May 1994. After a twenty minute scheduled stop at a depot in Zawory, the bus - an Autosan H9-21 - began its return to Gdańsk with just two passengers. However, at the next scheduled stop in Chmielenek, several more people boarded the bus. Further along the route, large crowds of travelers boarded the vehicle at stops in Chmielno
and in Kartuzy
. At Żukowo
, the driver acquiesced to the request of some travelers to make a stop. Finally, when the bus stopped in Leźno
, an additional eight people boarded. By this time, the overcrowded vehicle was carrying 74 passenger
s, far in excess of the maximum allowable capacity of 51 (39 sitting, 12 standing).
32 kilometers after the start of its journey and 500 meters before its next scheduled stop in Gdańsk-Kokoszki
, the overloaded bus veered off the road and crashed into a tree while attempting to pass a Jelcz
truck. The force of the impact drove the tree 4,2 meters into the body of the bus. In the collision
, 25 passengers died immediately, with five passengers dying shortly after while being transported to local hospitals (two of them before reached hospitals.) Two additional victims died five and six days after crash, respectively, while the driver
, Jerzy Marczyński, survived.
The immediate cause of the accident was found to be the explosion of the right front tire, with contributing causes given as:
The tree which the bus struck was cut down in February 2008.
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
crash near Gdańsk
Gdansk
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
involving a commuter bus PKS
Panstwowa Komunikacja Samochodowa
Przedsiębiorstwo Komunikacji Samochodowej is a major Polish enterprise dealing with public transport.-History:...
(Polska Komunikacja Samochodowa) that veered into a road-side tree. In the accident, 32 people died and 45 were injured.
Accident
The accident occurred on the afternoonAfternoon
Afternoon is the time of day from noon to about 18:00.The term should not be confused with "after noon" , which is a translation of the Latin "post meridiem" as used in the 12-hour clock, meaning a time of day from noon to midnight.In Australia and New Zealand, the word "arvo" is a slang term for...
of Monday, 2 May 1994. After a twenty minute scheduled stop at a depot in Zawory, the bus - an Autosan H9-21 - began its return to Gdańsk with just two passengers. However, at the next scheduled stop in Chmielenek, several more people boarded the bus. Further along the route, large crowds of travelers boarded the vehicle at stops in Chmielno
Chmielno
Chmielno may refer to the following places in Poland:*Chmielno, Lower Silesian Voivodeship *Chmielno, Pomeranian Voivodeship *Chmielno, West Pomeranian Voivodeship...
and in Kartuzy
Kartuzy
Kartuzy is a town in the historic Eastern Pomerania region of northwestern Poland, located about west of Gdańsk with a population of 15,472...
. At Żukowo
Zukowo
Żukowo is a town in Kartuzy County, in the Pomeranian Voivodeship of northern Poland, with 6,236 inhabitants . It is located along the Radunia river in the historic Pomerelia region, about southwest of Gdańsk....
, the driver acquiesced to the request of some travelers to make a stop. Finally, when the bus stopped in Leźno
Lezno
Leźno is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Żukowo, within Kartuzy County, Pomeranian Voivodeship, in northern Poland. It lies approximately east of Żukowo, east of Kartuzy, and west of the regional capital Gdańsk....
, an additional eight people boarded. By this time, the overcrowded vehicle was carrying 74 passenger
Passenger
A passenger is a term broadly used to describe any person who travels in a vehicle, but bears little or no responsibility for the tasks required for that vehicle to arrive at its destination....
s, far in excess of the maximum allowable capacity of 51 (39 sitting, 12 standing).
Kokoszki
Kokoszki is one of the quarters of the city of Gdańsk, Poland.Kokoszki was a location for 2 German concentration camps during the Second World War that were subcamps of the concentration camp Stutthof....
, the overloaded bus veered off the road and crashed into a tree while attempting to pass a Jelcz
Jelcz
Jelcz is a Polish brand of trucks, buses and trolley buses produced by Zakłady Samochodowe Jelcz SA , a division of Jelczańskie Zakłady Samochodowe or . Currently Zakłady Samochodowe Jelcz SA is closed....
truck. The force of the impact drove the tree 4,2 meters into the body of the bus. In the collision
Collision
A collision is an isolated event which two or more moving bodies exert forces on each other for a relatively short time.Although the most common colloquial use of the word "collision" refers to accidents in which two or more objects collide, the scientific use of the word "collision" implies...
, 25 passengers died immediately, with five passengers dying shortly after while being transported to local hospitals (two of them before reached hospitals.) Two additional victims died five and six days after crash, respectively, while the driver
Bus driver
A bus driver, bus operator or omnibus driver is a person who drives buses professionally. Bus drivers typically drive their vehicles between bus stations or stops. They often drop off and pick up passengers on a predetermined route schedule. In British English a different term, coach drivers, is...
, Jerzy Marczyński, survived.
Cause of accident
The court case was closed in 1999, after a one and a half year inquiry into the accident.The immediate cause of the accident was found to be the explosion of the right front tire, with contributing causes given as:
- Overcrowding on the bus (77 passengers instead of 51)
- The excessive speed of the bus during the accident sequence (60 km/hour instead of 50 km/hour)
- The generally poor condition of the 11-year old bus
The tree which the bus struck was cut down in February 2008.
Sources
- News item at wiadomosci.polska.pl (in Polish)
- Jarosław Reszka, "Goodbye! We are gone..." The biggest catastrophes in post-war Poland.
- "Gazeta Wyborcza" archives articles
See also
- List of Poland disasters by death toll