Severe Highway Pileup On A1 Motorway Leaves Two Dead, Several Hospitalized After Crash Near Bucharest

Bucharest, Romania— A severe highway pileup on the A1 motorway left two people dead and several hospitalized Wednesday afternoon after dense fog and speeding triggered a chain-reaction crash.

Romania Journal reported the collision occurred at kilometer 94 near Pitesti at 2:30 p.m. Traffic police said a truck braked suddenly in low visibility. Seven cars and two trucks then slammed into each other. The wreck blocked both lanes toward Bucharest.

Two drivers died at the scene. One was a 44-year-old man trapped in a compact car crushed between trucks. The other was a 38-year-old woman whose vehicle caught fire. Firefighters needed hydraulic tools to extract the bodies.

Seven others were injured, three critically. Paramedics from Arges County treated victims on the highway shoulder. Four were taken to Pitesti County Hospital, three to Bucharest Floreasca Emergency Hospital by helicopter. Doctors said one remains in critical condition.

Inspector Mihai Ionescu of the Highway Police said visibility dropped below 30 meters at the time. He said several drivers were traveling above 130 km/h despite fog warnings. Speed and lack of distance were preliminary factors.

The motorway was fully closed for four hours. Traffic was diverted onto DN7, causing 12-kilometer backups. Crews removed wrecked vehicles with heavy cranes. Fuel spilled from one truck required chemical cleanup. The road reopened at 6:45 p.m.

Witnesses described a wall of white. One driver said he saw brake lights too late. Another said cars were piled on top of each other like metal boxes. Police collected dashcam footage from 20 vehicles.

Prosecutors opened a criminal investigation for manslaughter and bodily injury. The truck driver who first braked tested negative for alcohol. Black boxes from two trucks were seized for analysis.

Traffic police urged drivers to reduce speed on A1 during autumn fog season. The pileup is the third fatal crash on that section this year. The investigation is ongoing.