The Minister of Transport visited the seriously injured train driver at Rebro and revealed details of their brief conversation following this morning's train collision near Škrinjari.
Minister of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure Oleg Butković visited the train driver of the passenger train at Zagreb's Rebro hospital this afternoon. The driver was seriously injured in a collision with a freight train on the stretch between Sveti Ivan Žabno and Gradec this morning. After a brief conversation with the man who has spent more than four decades behind the controls, Butković relayed his dramatic account of the moments just before the impact.
"We spoke briefly. The man has been working for 42 years and is nearing retirement. When he saw the train coming from the opposite direction, he managed to brake and flee to the rear of the train. That's how he actually avoided death," Butković revealed.
The accident occurred on Saturday, August 8, 2026, shortly after 10 a.m. on the railway near the village of Škrinjari, not far from Križevci. According to data from Tportal, the collision between a HŽ Cargo freight train and a HŽ Passenger Transport passenger train took place at 10:05 a.m. There were 28 people on the passenger train, including 26 passengers, a conductor, and the driver.
Interior Minister Medved, who visited the accident site, stated that "all injured persons were attended to in the shortest possible time according to the severity of their injuries." The response involved 51 firefighters with nine vehicles, including a special firefighting vehicle from the Đurđevac Public Fire Brigade, and a HEMS helicopter was also deployed.
Six people sustained serious injuries in the accident, while between 13 and 14 sustained minor injuries. Sources differ on the exact number of lightly injured: Klikni.hr reports 13, while Tportal reports 14. Adis Keranović, a physician at Zagreb University Hospital Center, confirmed that none of the injured are in life-threatening condition. Three people with serious injuries are hospitalized at Rebro and are stable, one person is being treated at Vinogradska Hospital, and four were transported to Bjelovar General Hospital.
Maja Grba-Bujević, director of the Croatian Institute of Emergency Medicine, reported that six ground emergency medical teams and the helicopter emergency medical service participated in the care. Koprivnica-Križevci County Prefect Tomislav Golubić noted that teams from Zagreb County and Bjelovar-Bilogora County arrived to assist.
Mrs. Dragica, one of the 28 passengers who witnessed the collision, described the moment of impact for Dnevnik.hr. "It was terrifying; I felt like I flew forward," she said. Passengers were evacuated by firefighters and civilians, with special praise going to a local resident of Škrinjari who used his own machine to assist the medical team and firefighters.
Chief Fire Commander Slavko Tucaković said that after all passengers were evacuated, there was a risk of explosion because the fuel tank of one locomotive, containing about 1,400 liters of fuel, had been damaged. Firefighters prevented a fire by applying foam as a preventive measure and transferring the fuel to safe containers.
Prime Minister Andrej Plenković expressed regret over the accident, emphasizing that it is fortunate there were no fatalities. "The investigation will reveal the cause of the accident," he stated. Deputy Prime Ministers Davor Božinović and Oleg Butković, along with the Minister of Health and heads of emergency services, coordinated the on-site response immediately after the collision.
