On June 5th at approximately 5:30 PM at the intersection of Vadym Hetman and Ushynskyi streets in Solomianski District of Kyiv, a 49-year-old Mercedes-Benz driver, a resident of Kherson region, lost control of the vehicle at high speed and drove onto the pedestrian zone. The car crashed into an underground pedestrian crossing where people were present. According to National Police spokesperson Yulia Hirdvilis, the vehicle was crushed almost beyond recognition — debris and bodies were found on both sides of the crossing.
Four Dead, Three Injured
Two men, a woman, and a 12-year-old boy died at the scene. Three more people were injured. The driver was hospitalized — he also suffered injuries as a result of the accident.
«It has been preliminarily established that as a result of the accident at the scene, four citizens died, and three more were injured. All circumstances are being determined.»
Kyiv Police Press Service
Behind the Wheel
According to the Office of the Prosecutor General, the 49-year-old man had previously been involved in four traffic accidents and had systematically exceeded speed limits. The driver was detained under Article 208 of the Criminal Procedure Code. According to the prosecutor's materials, he could face up to 10 years in prison — under the article on violation of road safety rules that resulted in the deaths of multiple people.
The Prosecutor General's Office opened criminal proceedings. An investigative and operational team worked at the scene.
A Systemic Problem, Not an Accident
Four previous accidents and recorded speed violations — this is not anonymous statistics, but a concrete trajectory that the system failed to stop. Ukraine lacks an automatic mechanism for suspending driving licenses after a series of violations: each case is considered separately, and the accumulated pattern does not lead to preventive measures.
- In 2023, over 3,200 people died in traffic accidents in Ukraine
- Speeding is the cause of every third fatal accident
- The automatic traffic enforcement system covers less than 15% of the country's roads
Kyiv is no exception: underground crossings on busy boulevards are not physically separated from the roadway by barriers capable of stopping a vehicle.
If the investigation confirms that the previous four accidents were properly documented and the driver retained his license each time — this is no longer a question for him, but for the procedure itself: at what point should the number of violations become grounds for administrative suspension from driving?
