A tragic week on the motorways

Two people have died during serious accidents on motorways prompting a warning to the public

At around 8.40pm on Thursday 16th August, a woman in her 30s was killed and two were left injured after an accident on the A7 near Marseille. 27 fire fighters and nine fire engines were called to free the victims from their wrecked vehicles and control the busy traffic. A man and a woman, also in their 30s, remain in a stable condition. 

Just one hour earlier, a six-kilometre traffic jam resulted on the A8 in the direction Nice to Cannes, after a collision between a car and a motorbike near Cagnes sur Mer. Thankfully, there were no fatalities in this incident and the motorbike driver escaped without serious injury.

Further east on Thursday, the T7 tunnel near Monaco was shut as a precaution against a small scrub fire that had ignited in Cap d'Ail. Fire fighters contained the blaze to the roadside near the La Turbie exit.

The previous day, on 15th August near the same exit, a 59-year-old man was killed after pulling to the side of the road with car trouble. His car bonnet is said to have been engulfed by smoke, and whilst inspecting the vehicle, he was hit by another car which reportedly didn't see him through the haze. The victim's female passenger was also seriously injured and remains in a critical condition. 

Local authorities have stressed the dangers of pedestrians on motorways, saying that people who are out of their vehicles are likely to be hit by traffic within just 30 seconds. 

Edward Hetherington