- Joined
- Mar 27, 2021
This case surprised me, as I had recently come across similar cases of accidents involving Indian truck drivers in France in the press. Experts refer to them as the ‘Indians of Lithuania’ because they are registered in Eastern Europe. (I wrote this before finding the specific cases, but in fact two of the Indians concerned are indeed “Lithuanians”).
May 2025
Truck driver arrested after collision at railroad crossing
A truck was hit by a TER train on Thursday 22 May at midday in Rion-des-Landes, at the level crossing on the D41 road. The heavy goods vehicle, registered in Lithuania, entered the track despite the warning signals indicating the arrival of a train. Shortly after the collision, the heavy goods vehicle resumed its journey before the emergency services and police arrived. When the police arrived at the scene, they thought the truck had fled. The Épervier plan, a police operation allowing significant resources to be deployed to apprehend wanted persons, was then briefly activated in the Landes region.
But a few minutes later, the gendarmes found the truck: it was parked about a hundred metres from the scene of the accident. The driver had not fled, he had simply moved on. The man, an Indian national, was unharmed. He explained that he was unfamiliar with the level crossing signals and had not realised there was any danger. He was arrested. (…)
https://www.francebleu.fr/infos/fai...rafic-interrompu-entre-dax-et-morcenx-9513027 (Archive)
Another source indicates that he was fined €750.
June 2025
A heavy truck overturned paralyzed the A7 for 9 hours because the driver fell asleep
Early in the morning on Thursday, June 5, the scene was impressive. Lying on its right side, an articulated truck was stranded in the middle of the three lanes of the A7 motorway heading towards Marseille. While the concrete median strip had been blown up over several meters, the truck's cab was immobilized on the left lane, facing in the opposite direction, towards Lyon. Fortunately, this spectacular accident did not cause any further accidents.
Shortly before 6 a.m., the truck, which was transporting parcels and traveling north to south, overturned near La Roche-de-Glun, in the Drôme department, between the Tain-l'Hermitage and Bourg-lès-Valence interchanges. The driver, a 37-year-old Indian national with a Hungarian license, managed to extricate himself from the cab. He was slightly injured and was treated by firefighters.
According to initial findings by the Valence highway police, the 30-year-old driver fell asleep. He reportedly hit the guardrail along the emergency lane before crossing the lanes and colliding with the central reservation. The truck ended up lying on its side. The road surface was also torn up in several places, with damage several centimeters deep. (…)
https://www.ledauphine.com/faits-di...rt-son-poids-lourd-se-couche-et-paralyse-l-a7 (Archive)
July 2025
Fatal accident in Landes: ‘I should have looked again before turning.’
In custody since July 13, 2025, the 30-year-old truck driver reserved his first words at the hearing on Tuesday, July 29, for the victim's family. Through an interpreter, he asked them for "forgiveness. I have been working since I was a child. I am a vegetarian. I don't drink alcohol or take drugs. I've never been in a fight. I never thought I would have an accident like this."
On Friday, July 11, around noon, in Saint-Gein, at the Arbouts intersection, he turned left toward Mont-de-Marsan and cut off the motorcycle coming from his right. “I looked straight ahead, to the right, and to the left. I should have looked again before turning. I moved forward. I didn't see the motorcyclist.” The investigation confirmed that he did not stop to yield and was traveling at 20-25 kilometers per hour when the collision occurred.
This Indian man, who works for a Lithuanian company, admitted that he was on the phone via Bluetooth at the time of the accident. “My concentration must have been divided,” he tried to explain. Negative drug tests. No previous offenses. "I was a truck driver in Dubai for six years and then in Lithuania for the past five years. I passed all the tests to drive here. I've never had an accident. I send all my salary to my family in India."
At 1:35 p.m., a 57-year-old man from Gironde, who had gone for a motorcycle ride, died on the road. “He was a calm driver, very safety-conscious,” said his partner's lawyer. “With him, she had just rediscovered her childhood sweetheart. The love of her life. She had given up everything to move in with him in Bordeaux.” Her dignity is remarkable. Overcome with emotion, she is unable to speak. In any case, she is not seeking any compensation. Neither is the victim's daughter.
Given “perfect weather and excellent visibility,” the prosecutor sees only “inattention on the part of the driver” and requests a two-year suspended prison sentence. The judges agree. He is banned from driving in France for one year. After his release from custody in the afternoon, the driver regained his freedom.
https://www.sudouest.fr/landes/mont...e-nouvelle-fois-avant-de-tourner-25421417.php (Archive)
May 2025
Truck driver arrested after collision at railroad crossing
A truck was hit by a TER train on Thursday 22 May at midday in Rion-des-Landes, at the level crossing on the D41 road. The heavy goods vehicle, registered in Lithuania, entered the track despite the warning signals indicating the arrival of a train. Shortly after the collision, the heavy goods vehicle resumed its journey before the emergency services and police arrived. When the police arrived at the scene, they thought the truck had fled. The Épervier plan, a police operation allowing significant resources to be deployed to apprehend wanted persons, was then briefly activated in the Landes region.
But a few minutes later, the gendarmes found the truck: it was parked about a hundred metres from the scene of the accident. The driver had not fled, he had simply moved on. The man, an Indian national, was unharmed. He explained that he was unfamiliar with the level crossing signals and had not realised there was any danger. He was arrested. (…)
https://www.francebleu.fr/infos/fai...rafic-interrompu-entre-dax-et-morcenx-9513027 (Archive)
Another source indicates that he was fined €750.
June 2025
A heavy truck overturned paralyzed the A7 for 9 hours because the driver fell asleep
Early in the morning on Thursday, June 5, the scene was impressive. Lying on its right side, an articulated truck was stranded in the middle of the three lanes of the A7 motorway heading towards Marseille. While the concrete median strip had been blown up over several meters, the truck's cab was immobilized on the left lane, facing in the opposite direction, towards Lyon. Fortunately, this spectacular accident did not cause any further accidents.
Shortly before 6 a.m., the truck, which was transporting parcels and traveling north to south, overturned near La Roche-de-Glun, in the Drôme department, between the Tain-l'Hermitage and Bourg-lès-Valence interchanges. The driver, a 37-year-old Indian national with a Hungarian license, managed to extricate himself from the cab. He was slightly injured and was treated by firefighters.
According to initial findings by the Valence highway police, the 30-year-old driver fell asleep. He reportedly hit the guardrail along the emergency lane before crossing the lanes and colliding with the central reservation. The truck ended up lying on its side. The road surface was also torn up in several places, with damage several centimeters deep. (…)
https://www.ledauphine.com/faits-di...rt-son-poids-lourd-se-couche-et-paralyse-l-a7 (Archive)
July 2025
Fatal accident in Landes: ‘I should have looked again before turning.’
In custody since July 13, 2025, the 30-year-old truck driver reserved his first words at the hearing on Tuesday, July 29, for the victim's family. Through an interpreter, he asked them for "forgiveness. I have been working since I was a child. I am a vegetarian. I don't drink alcohol or take drugs. I've never been in a fight. I never thought I would have an accident like this."
On Friday, July 11, around noon, in Saint-Gein, at the Arbouts intersection, he turned left toward Mont-de-Marsan and cut off the motorcycle coming from his right. “I looked straight ahead, to the right, and to the left. I should have looked again before turning. I moved forward. I didn't see the motorcyclist.” The investigation confirmed that he did not stop to yield and was traveling at 20-25 kilometers per hour when the collision occurred.
This Indian man, who works for a Lithuanian company, admitted that he was on the phone via Bluetooth at the time of the accident. “My concentration must have been divided,” he tried to explain. Negative drug tests. No previous offenses. "I was a truck driver in Dubai for six years and then in Lithuania for the past five years. I passed all the tests to drive here. I've never had an accident. I send all my salary to my family in India."
At 1:35 p.m., a 57-year-old man from Gironde, who had gone for a motorcycle ride, died on the road. “He was a calm driver, very safety-conscious,” said his partner's lawyer. “With him, she had just rediscovered her childhood sweetheart. The love of her life. She had given up everything to move in with him in Bordeaux.” Her dignity is remarkable. Overcome with emotion, she is unable to speak. In any case, she is not seeking any compensation. Neither is the victim's daughter.
Given “perfect weather and excellent visibility,” the prosecutor sees only “inattention on the part of the driver” and requests a two-year suspended prison sentence. The judges agree. He is banned from driving in France for one year. After his release from custody in the afternoon, the driver regained his freedom.
https://www.sudouest.fr/landes/mont...e-nouvelle-fois-avant-de-tourner-25421417.php (Archive)
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