The incident on the A1

On 18 July 2026, a 36-year-old man driving an Audi on the A1 motorway near Woźniki, Silesian Voivodeship, was swerving across lanes. He sideswiped a truck, then attempted to swap seats with his passenger to avoid blame. Witnesses, including journalists from TVN24, stopped the car and held the driver until police arrived. A breathalyser test showed 2.7 promille of alcohol. Checks revealed two active court-imposed driving bans and a decision by the Pabianice starosta revoking his driving licence.

Initial release and public outcry

Despite the extreme recidivism, the duty prosecutor from the Lubliniec District Prosecutor's Office decided to release the man without charges or any preventive measures. The decision sparked immediate criticism. The case was taken over by the Częstochowa District Prosecutor's Office.

“On 22 July, at the prosecutor's order, police detained a 36-year-old man in this case for the purpose of presenting charges and questioning as a suspect.”

Intervention by the Prosecutor General

Prosecutor General Waldemar Żurek instructed National Prosecutor Dariusz Korneluk to intervene. As a result, the deputy head of the Lubliniec District Prosecutor's Office, responsible for supervising duty prosecutors, will be dismissed. A disciplinary proceeding was also launched against the duty prosecutor who made the release decision.

“His duties included supervising the activities of prosecutors on incident duty in that unit. At the same time, the case will be transferred to the Częstochowa District Prosecutor's Office for further handling.”

Re-arrest and charges

On 22 July, police detained the suspect. On 23 July, the Częstochowa prosecutor presented charges of causing an immediate danger of a land traffic disaster, violating two court driving bans, and driving under the influence of alcohol. The investigation is ongoing.