Overturned truck on S8 expressway near Trojany triggers 10-kilometre traffic jam

Collision near Trojany on the S8 expressway

Traffic on the S8 expressway came to a halt on Saturday just before 13:00 following a collision near the village of Trojany in Wołomin County. A heavy tractor-trailer travelling along the carriageway towards Białystok suffered a sudden tire blowout, causing the driver to lose steering control in an instant. The articulated vehicle veered across the roadway and struck the energy-absorbing crash barriers with substantial force. The momentum of the impact caused the lorry to roll over onto its side, coming to rest horizontally across the entire width of the road. Alongside crushing parts of the driver cab against the protective guardrails, the crash knocked down and damaged an adjacent street lighting mast along the central reservation. The incident disrupted transit on a primary route linking Warsaw with northeastern Poland during peak weekend travel.

Driver condition and fire service response

Despite the severe physical impact and the partial crushing of the vehicle cabin against the barriers, the driver escaped the crash without sustaining injuries. The motorist exited the overturned cab independently before emergency personnel arrived at the scene. Responding police officers conducted sobriety tests and documentation checks, confirming that the driver was sober and held all necessary driving licences and regulatory permits. Initial assessments by attending police officers determined that the blown tire was the direct cause of the collision. Three fire brigade units deployed to the site to cordon off the area, eliminate potential hazards from the vehicle, and begin preparations to upright and remove the tractor-trailer.

Severe tailbacks across regional corridors

The obstruction of both lanes on the Białystok-bound carriageway created rapid gridlock, generating a traffic jam that extended over 10 kilometres in length. Disruption also extended to vehicles travelling southwest towards Warsaw, where response vehicles and debris required the closure of one lane on the opposite carriageway. The closure interrupted regional transport connecting the capital to northeastern destinations across the Mazowieckie and Podlaskie regions. Motorists travelling from Warsaw towards Wyszków, Ostrów Mazowiecka, Ostrołęka, and Białystok faced extended travel delays as vehicles backed up behind the accident zone. The 10-kilometre queue left hundreds of commercial and private vehicles stationary along the expressway for an extended period.

Designated detour and clearance estimates

To relieve the growing queue of vehicles, the General Directorate for National Roads and Motorways (GDDKiA) established a detour around the blocked expressway segment. Drivers travelling towards Białystok are instructed to leave the S8 expressway at the Wola Rasztowska interchange and divert onto provincial road number 636. Traffic can follow provincial road 636 through local corridors before re-entering the S8 expressway at the Trojany interchange to resume their journey. The designated diversion route allows traffic to bypass the completely blocked section between Wola Rasztowska and Trojany. Road authorities indicated that clearing the scene and restoring traffic could take up to three hours according to highway communications, while emergency services on the ground warned that full recovery of the vehicle and barrier repairs might require several hours.