The Primorje-Gorski Kotar Police Department reported that a 19-year-old German national lost control of his motorcycle and crossed into the oncoming lane, where he collided with a car. Other riders in his group were fined €660 for technical deficiencies.
The Primorje-Gorski Kotar Police Department released on Monday, August 10, details of a serious traffic accident that occurred on Saturday, August 8, on Učka. The accident claimed the life of a 19-year-old German national who was riding a motorcycle with German license plates.
The tragedy occurred around 4:50 p.m. on County Road ŽC 5047, on the section between Vela Učka and Veprinac. According to police, the young motorcyclist was traveling from the direction of Vela Učka toward Veprinac and failed to adjust his speed to the conditions and state of the road. "He lost control of the motorcycle and fell," police stated.
After the fall, the motorcyclist, along with his vehicle, crossed into the lane designated for oncoming traffic. At that point, he collided with a car bearing Rijeka license plates, driven by a 40-year-old Croatian national; a 47-year-old woman was also in the vehicle. The 19-year-old succumbed to his injuries at the scene of the accident.
The body of the deceased was transported to the Department of Forensic Medicine and Criminology at the Faculty of Medicine in Rijeka for an autopsy. Due to the investigation, the section of County Road 5047 was closed to all traffic from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
The criminal investigation established that the deceased 19-year-old was part of a group of enduro motorcycle riders traveling together on that section. These are off-road motorcycles designed for riding on gravel and challenging terrain, which were traveling on the road between Opatija and Učka. The motorcycles belonging to members of that group were briefly seized and sent for extraordinary technical inspections, during which dangerous technical defects were discovered.
Due to the observed violations, the riders were fined, and they had to pay a penalty of 660 euros. Police emphasized that this incident once again highlights the importance of the technical soundness of enduro motorcycles participating in traffic on public roads.
"It is especially important that motorcycles, regardless of their purpose and type, meet all prescribed technical requirements before entering road traffic," the Primorje-Gorski Kotar Police Department stated.
