A serious road accident occurred on Wednesday night in the parking lot of a medical rehabilitation center in Cordău, Bihor County. A 27-year-old man in a wheelchair died, and two other people were injured after being hit by a car.
Behind the wheel was a 51-year-old woman from Satu Mare. She is said to be a retired special judge.
Pressed the accelerator instead of the brake
The accident occurred around 11:00 p.m. when the driver tried to park the car - a BMW with automatic transmission - in the medical center's parking lot. According to the Bihor County Police, the woman mistakenly pressed the accelerator pedal instead of the brake. The car suddenly moved, left the parking spot, and entered a pedestrian walkway on the right side of the building.
There were three people there: two men in wheelchairs and a nurse accompanying them. All three were hit.
The impact was devastating. The Bihor County Emergency Situations Inspectorate (ISU) reported that one of the victims, a 27-year-old man from Aleșd, was found lifeless. Medics declared his death at the scene.
The other man in a wheelchair, an 18-year-old from Hunedoara, remained trapped under the car. Firefighters used extrication equipment to rescue him. He was in extremely critical condition, classified as a medical code red.
The head of the Emergency Department and Mobile Emergency Service for Resuscitation (UPU-SMURD) in Bihor, Dr. Hadrian Borcea, stated that the patient was found hemodynamically unstable, with fractures in the pelvis, lower limbs, and chest. "Colleagues managed to stabilize him, and he was taken to the operating room," Dr. Borcea said.
The third victim, a 32-year-old nurse, "suffered bruises and abrasions, without injuries requiring hospitalization."
The driver had not consumed alcohol
Testing with a breathalyzer indicated that the woman was not under the influence of alcohol. Investigations are ongoing under the coordination of a prosecutor from the Prosecutor's Office attached to the Oradea Court, for manslaughter and unintentional bodily harm.
According to Adevarul and Digi24, the woman behind the wheel was reportedly a former judge, but this information has not been officially confirmed by the Police.
Investigators are working to determine the exact dynamics of the accident.