One person dies, two injured in car-truck crash on national road 20 near Kartuzy

The collision

On Monday, 26 October 2026, around 13:00, a passenger car and a truck collided on national road 20 at Borcz, in Kartuzy county of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. According to RMF, the crash happened on a stretch between Żukowo and Kościerzyna. Police preliminary findings say the 70-year-old man driving an Opel moved into the oncoming lane for reasons not yet established, where his car struck a truck driven by a 29-year-old man. Polsat News reported that the car was travelling toward Kościerzyna when it crossed over, that the passenger car was completely crushed and that the truck ended up in a ditch. Super Express described the front of the car as almost entirely crushed and the truck as thrown off the road. Kartuzy police first reported the incident on social media, and officers working under the supervision of a prosecutor are still establishing the detailed circumstances and causes of the crash.

Rescue and casualties

A police patrol was sent to the scene first, followed by firefighters and paramedics, Polsat News reported. The fire station in Kartuzy said that one of the people travelling in the passenger car could not be saved despite cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and a doctor pronounced death at the scene. Polsat News identified the person who died as the 70-year-old driver. Two other people were injured, the fire service said, but it did not give details of their condition. Five fire crews attended, and the Lotnicze Pogotowie Ratunkowe air ambulance was also called to the scene. The fire service's statement put the death in these words:

“Despite cardiopulmonary resuscitation, the lives of one of the people travelling in the passenger car could not be saved.”

Services worked at the scene until their work was finished and the vehicles had been dealt with, Super Express reported, which kept the road closed for the duration.

Road closure

RMF reported that national road 20 between Żukowo and Kościerzyna was fully blocked, and that the services directed drivers onto local roads as a detour. The disruption was expected to last until about 16:00, RMF said. Polsat News reported, unofficially, that traffic partly resumed just after 16:00. The timeline below shows the key moments reported so far.

Driving advice

RMF reported that the services urged drivers to take extra care in autumn because wet asphalt lengthens braking distance. Drivers were advised to ease off the accelerator, adjust speed to conditions and leave a larger gap to the vehicle ahead. Polsat News reported that police asked drivers to be careful in autumn, when roads are slippery after rain and local frosts are possible. Both appeals were issued on the day of the crash.

What remains open

Police have not established why the Opel moved into the oncoming lane. Officers will examine the detailed circumstances of the collision, and prosecutors are supervising that work. Reports published on the day said the detailed circumstances were not yet known.