The accident at the car meet in Hrádek nad Nisou took place on Saturday 26 September 2026 in the Kristýna recreation area in the Liberec region, where a gathering of sports and modified vehicles was held. One of the participants lost control of a Ford Mustang GT during a driving demonstration, hit two other cars, a Honda and a Mercedes, and then drove into a crowd of onlookers. Five people were injured, two of them with moderate and three with minor injuries; all were conscious and, after treatment by the ambulance service, were taken to the trauma centre of the Liberec hospital.[1][2]*
Course of the accident
According to witnesses and videos posted on social media, it was the end of a contest for the loudest car of the meet, when the last contestant on site was performing a burnout, a manoeuvre in which the rear wheels of a stationary rear-wheel-drive car spin. According to the organisers, the driver for an unexplained reason put the car into reverse and then into first gear with the accelerator floored and drove into the crowd.[1][3] Paramedics of the ambulance service notified the police of the accident on Saturday shortly before 19:30.[2][3]
Investigation
Police subjected the driver to a breath test for alcohol and a screening test for other addictive substances; both were negative.[2] The man, a foreign national, was detained on the spot and at the police station was informed of a charge of negligent bodily harm, which carries a prison sentence of up to three years; he is being investigated while at liberty.[2][3] Police seized his vehicle for further examination, including to rule out a technical defect.[1][2] According to police spokeswoman Vladimíra Šrýtrová, investigators will also look into how far the event was legal and how its safety was ensured.[1][2] Police asked the public to provide photographs and video recordings from the scene through the emergency line 158.[1][2]
Reactions
The organisers, speaking on the Facebook profile of a community of car enthusiasts from Liberec and the surrounding area, declared the event over after the accident and said they regretted the incident; the post was later deleted.[1] The organiser also called on the public to delete any footage of the accident, while the police, on the contrary, asked for it to be handed over for the investigation.[1] The mayor of Hrádek nad Nisou, Pavel Farský, confirmed that it was a private event whose organiser had a rental agreement for the premises with the camp operator, the company Kristýna a.s., and said that he had heard good feedback from previous years.[1][3] According to Farský, the event cannot be judged on the basis of one person's failure.[2][3]
Sources
- Novinky.cz — 28 September 2026
- Blesk.cz — 27 September 2026
- Deník.cz — 26 September 2026