One 9-year-old twin dead, two other children injured after grandmother crashes into bridge near Cluj-Napoca

The crash

On the afternoon of Friday, July 31, at about 16:30, a 56-year-old woman from Cluj-Napoca lost control of her car while driving from Gherla toward the city on the DN1 VOCNE ring road, just outside Apahida. The vehicle veered off the carriageway and struck a concrete bridge abutment head-on. The force of the impact left the car partially overturned in a roadside ditch and its four occupants – the driver and her three grandchildren – trapped. The children were twin 9-year-old girls and a 6-year-old boy, all seated in the back. Police said the boy was secured in a specialized child seat and the girls were wearing seat belts. The road, a heavily used artery skirting Cluj-Napoca, has a history of serious incidents, but Friday’s single-car collision unfolded in dry daytime conditions, surprising investigators.

Rescue operation

Cluj County’s emergency services dispatched a large-scale team from Detașamentul 1 Cluj-Napoca: two heavy rescue vehicles with extrication equipment, two SMURD mobile intensive-care ambulances, a SMURD motorcycle, and two ambulances from the county ambulance service. On arrival, crews found the twin girls in cardiorespiratory arrest. ISU Cluj spokesperson Paul Olar described the immediate response.

“Two minors were in cardiorespiratory arrest, so rescuers immediately applied resuscitation maneuvers.”

While paramedics fought to revive the girls at the roadside, firefighters cut through the mangled car body to free the grandmother and the 6-year-old boy, who had been pinned inside. After sustained effort, both girls regained vital signs. ISU Cluj later confirmed all four victims were transported to hospital in serious condition. The rescue operation, which played out on one of the region’s busiest bypass roads, caused heavy traffic disruption in both directions for several hours.

Casualties

Despite the successful field resuscitation, one of the 9-year-old twins did not survive. Police announced later that evening that she was pronounced dead at the hospital. Her twin sister and their 6-year-old brother remain under medical supervision, their condition described as critical. The 56-year-old grandmother was also hospitalized with serious injuries. The family’s three surviving members continue to receive intensive care, with doctors monitoring their progress.

Investigation

Officers from the Cluj County Police Inspectorate (IPJ Cluj) are examining the cause of the crash. A breathalyzer test administered to the driver at the scene returned a negative result for alcohol, IPJ Cluj spokesperson Iulian Timșa said.

“The driver was tested with the breathalyzer, and the result was negative.”

With alcohol ruled out, investigators are focusing on the possibility that a momentary lapse in attention caused the 56-year-old to lose control. The hypothesis, reported by local correspondents, is that a brief distraction – perhaps only a few seconds – led to the collision. No other vehicle was involved, and the road surface was dry at the time. Police are collecting witness accounts and conducting a technical inspection of the vehicle. A full reconstruction of the accident is expected in the coming days, and authorities have not released further details about the driver’s medical history or possible contributing factors.