Four dead on Poland's A1 highway after truck hits road maintenance crew
Four people died and up to five were injured on Tuesday morning after a truck struck a road maintenance crew on Poland's A1 highway near Mykanów, prompting a full southbound closure.
Collision on the A1 highway
On Tuesday morning, 1 September 2026, a collision occurred on Poland's A1 highway near Mykanów in Częstochowa County. The incident took place around 09:00 on the southbound carriageway leading toward Gliwice and Katowice, just before the Mykanów junction. According to preliminary findings by the police, a truck pulling a trailer struck a highway maintenance vehicle and a crew carrying out road repairs. Multiple vehicles became entangled in the aftermath of the collision. The force of the impact caused immediate structural blockage across all southbound lanes.
Casualty toll and emergency evacuation
The collision resulted in four confirmed fatalities and multiple injuries among the maintenance workers and vehicle occupants. While early reports from the fire service suggested five deaths, provincial police confirmed four fatalities. Between four and five people sustained injuries, with at least one person transported to the hospital in serious condition. Emergency dispatchers sent units from the State Fire Service and Volunteer Fire Service to the scene alongside local medical rescue teams. Two Polish Medical Air Rescue helicopters landed directly on the highway to evacuate the most severely injured victims before departing for regional hospitals.
Paweł Liszaj, press officer for the Częstochowa State Fire Service, described the situation found by the first arriving crews.
Unfortunately, after arriving at the scene, the head of the rescue operation determined that as a result of the road incident there are four fatalities and five injured people.
- A truck collides with a highway maintenance crew on the A1 near Mykanów.
- Firefighters and two air rescue helicopters arrive at the scene to evacuate casualties.
- Silesian Police issue a Black Road Alert and divert traffic back toward Radomsko.
Traffic paralysis and Black Road Alert
The collision caused total traffic paralysis along the southbound section of the A1 highway leading toward Katowice. In response to the severity of the obstruction, the Silesian Police activated a Black Road Alert across regional channels. Law enforcement officers urged drivers to follow all emergency instructions, maintain open corridors for emergency vehicles, and prepare for prolonged delays. Police established detours around the impassable sector, turning passenger cars back toward Radomsko. Authorities noted that because the crash site cannot be bypassed via immediate local interchanges, the closure would remain in effect for hours during formal inspections.
Investigation at the scene
Officers from the Municipal Police Headquarters in Częstochowa and the Provincial Police Headquarters in Katowice opened an inquiry into the technical causes of the collision. Investigators are examining whether the maintenance crew was inside the service vehicle or working exposed on the roadway when the truck struck them. Barbara Poznańska of the Częstochowa police confirmed the ongoing rescue and documentation work.
At the moment, we have information that four people are dead. The rescue operation on site is still ongoing.
Adam Jakimczak of the Provincial Police Headquarters in Katowice explained that officers are continuing reconstruction work on the carriageway while monitoring the condition of the hospitalized victims.
As a result of this incident, four people died, and four others were transported to the hospital, including one in serious condition. We are determining how this happened: whether the truck drove into the vehicle when the workers were outside, or whether they were sitting inside.
