A young German national died in a serious traffic accident on County Road 5047. Police later discovered he was riding in a group of enduro motorcycles with dangerous technical defects.
A serious traffic accident in which a 19-year-old motorcyclist was killed occurred on Saturday, August 8, 2026, at approximately 4:50 PM on County Road 5047, between Vela Učka and Veprinac, confirmed by the Primorje-Gorski Kotar Police Department.
The young man, a German national, was riding a motorcycle with German license plates from the direction of Vela Učka toward Veprinac, but he failed to adjust his speed to the circumstances and road conditions. The investigation revealed that this led to a loss of control and a fall, after which he and the motorcycle crossed into the oncoming lane.
At that moment, a passenger car with Rijeka license plates was approaching from the opposite direction, driven by a 40-year-old Croatian national, with a 47-year-old female passenger also in the vehicle. The motorcyclist collided with the car and died from his injuries at the scene.
His body was transported to the Department of Forensic Medicine and Criminology at the Faculty of Medicine in Rijeka for an autopsy. The section of County Road 5047 was closed to all traffic from 4:30 PM to 7:30 PM for the investigation.
A criminal investigation revealed that the deceased 19-year-old was part of a group of enduro motorcyclists traveling together on that stretch of road. The motorcycles of the remaining group members were temporarily seized and sent for extraordinary technical inspections, and what the inspections revealed was far from harmless.
Specifically, dangerous technical defects were found, and the riders were fined, each paying a fine of 660 euros. On this occasion, the Primorje-Gorski Kotar Police Department once again emphasized the crucial importance of the technical roadworthiness of motorcycles, especially enduro motorcycles used on public roads: before entering traffic, they must meet all prescribed technical standards, regardless of type or purpose.
