YVELINES. A serious road accident occurred this Friday, July 28, 2023 in Mantes-la-Ville, in the Yvelines. A bus tried to avoid a car that was traveling in the wrong direction. Two people died. The driver was arrested and hospitalized.
[Updated July 28, 2023 at 2:15 p.m.] On Friday July 28, 2023, a tragic accident took place in the Yvelines. A bus carrying around fifty people and a presumed motorist in the opposite direction are involved, according to the first elements of the investigation, reported by BFM TV. The bus ended up in a ditch, while the motorist’s vehicle crashed into a tree. The incident occurred on the D113 in Mantes-la-Ville around 7 a.m. Unfortunately, two people lost their lives in this accident, including a 54-year-old woman. Five other people are in a state of absolute emergency, their vital prognosis being engaged. Thirty-three other passengers are in a state of relative emergency, while about fifteen people did not suffer physical injuries. To support the victims, a psychological unit has been set up. The driver of the car, a 21-year-old man, was apprehended and remains in custody. An investigation for homicides and involuntary injuries was opened and entrusted to the Mantes-la-Jolie police station, according to a judicial source quoted by BFMTV.
Transport Minister Clément Beaune arrived in Mantes-la-Ville at the end of the morning. He went to the town of Mézières-sur-Seine where the uninjured victims of the accident are gathered. After an exchange with the victims, the minister spoke to the press. “There was dangerous behavior,” he said. In addition, and while France will witness a crossover on the roads this weekend, the Minister of Transport wanted to recall the imperative rules of “prudence”. “We will be intractable in controls and sanctions,” he said, referring to the taking by motorists of narcotics and alcohol. Clément Beaune appeals to everyone’s responsibility.
It was on the D113, between Mézières-sur-Seine and Mantes-la-Jolie, that the accident occurred early in the morning. A bus put into circulation by the SNCF to replace the Transilien J, between Epône and Mantes-la-Jolie, ended its race in a ditch while trying to avoid a car traveling in the wrong direction. The driver of the bus carrying 50 people maneuvered and swerved to deflect its path and avoid impact with the other vehicle, a Clio. This car, for its part, ended up in a tree.
If the traffic against the direction of the light vehicle seemed to be in no doubt when the first information fell, BFMTV has since indicated that this traffic against the direction was suggested by traces of braking observed on the track, but must be confirmed.
Yvelines firefighters said on Twitter that a section of departmental road 113, between Mézières-sur-Seine and Mantes-la-Jolie, is closed “until further notice” because of the accident. There are many rescuers on site: 93 firefighters, 20 emergency vehicles as well as seven medical teams, specifies BFMTV.
Two people died in the accident according to the latest report communicated by Clément Beaune, the Minister of Transport. One of them is a 54-year-old woman. Five people were injured and are in urgent need. Their vital prognosis is engaged according to the minister. 33 other passengers are in relative emergency. All the injured were evacuated to two Parisian hospitals and that of Kremlin-Bicêtre by the two helicopters mobilized according to the prefecture of Yvelines.
In addition to the on-site intervention, a “medico-psychological emergency cell was triggered” to accommodate all those who were slightly injured in the accident or traumatized after witnessing the scene. “A meeting point for those involved is organized by the municipality of Mézières-sur-Seine”, also said the prefecture.
The man who was driving the car which was traveling in the wrong direction was arrested and placed in police custody, which has since been lifted for health reasons. The 21-year-old driver is seriously injured and has been hospitalized. Doubts have been expressed about the possible state of intoxication of the young man, the blood alcohol and narcotics controls have not yet been carried out due to his hospitalization.
