Warsaw bus driver charged with endangering traffic after underpass crash

Collision sequence on Ochota streets

On 5 July 2026, at approximately 18:00, an articulated Solaris Urbino 18 municipal bus operated by Miejskie Zakłady Autobusowe (MZA) was serving line 186 through the Ochota district of Warsaw. The bus was involved in an initial collision with a tram and a traffic signal before moving down Grójecka Street and Bitwy Warszawskiej 1920 Roku Street toward Rondo Zesłańców Syberyjskich near the Dworzec Zachodni railway hub. During the drive, the bus struck and damaged seven passenger vehicles along its path, pushing one car ahead of it for roughly 60 metres. The route concluded when the bus departed the roadway and mounted the stairs of a pedestrian underpass, shoving the passenger vehicle down into the passage.

Criminal charges and suspect response

The incident left six individuals injured, with two victims, including one minor, transported to local hospitals for medical treatment. On 2 October 2026, prosecutors with the Warsaw-Ochota District Prosecution formally presented criminal charges against the bus driver, identified as 58-year-old Polish national Czesław Ś. The charges include bringing direct danger of a catastrophe in land traffic under Article 174 of the Polish Penal Code, causing a road accident under Article 177, causing bodily injury lasting over seven days under Article 157, and damaging private property under Article 288. Under these provisions, the driver faces a maximum statutory penalty of up to eight years of imprisonment. Prosecutors confirmed that 15 people have been formally designated as injured parties in the case.

Evidentiary findings and preventive measures

Investigators based the decision to file charges on forensic reports examining the mechanical state of the Solaris vehicle, a road accident reconstruction, and toxicological findings. Prosecutors also conducted a comprehensive review of video footage from municipal monitoring networks and onboard cameras installed inside the bus.

Spokesperson for the Warsaw District Prosecution Piotr Antoni Skiba summarised the procedural steps taken during the three-month investigation:

Numerous procedural activities were performed during the proceedings, in particular obtaining an opinion on the technical condition of the Solaris vehicle, an expert opinion in the field of forensic examination and reconstruction of road accidents, toxicological opinions, and analysing monitoring recordings, including from the bus.

During his interrogation, Czesław Ś. pleaded not guilty to all charges and exercised his right to refuse giving explanations to investigators. The prosecutor imposed non-custodial preventive measures on the driver, placing him under police supervision with an obligation to report to a local station twice weekly, enforcing a travel ban, and confiscating his passport.

Driver testing and next legal steps

Immediately following the incident on 5 July, Warsaw Metropolitan Police conducted field sobriety and narcotic screenings on the driver. Spokesperson for the Warsaw Metropolitan Police sub-commissioner Jacek Wiśniewski confirmed at the time that breathalyzer and drug tests showed Czesław Ś. was sober and free of illicit substances behind the wheel.

The Warsaw-Ochota District Prosecution stated that the investigation remains active and requires additional specialist analysis before a final indictment is prepared. Prosecutors plan to subject Czesław Ś. to a one-off forensic psychiatric examination and obtain a supplementary toxicological opinion to establish a complete account of the driver's condition and the factors leading to the collision.