Pregnant mother and son killed in Serbia railway level‑crossing crash

A tragic railway level‑crossing accident occurred on the morning of 27 July near Odžak and Lalić in Serbia. A 27‑year‑old pregnant woman, Viktorija Stojkov, was traveling to a medical appointment with her three‑year‑old son, who was seated in a child safety seat in the rear of a Fiat. The car attempted to bypass a lowered ramp at the crossing as a passenger train approached, was struck at high speed and pushed more than 100 metres before stopping. Both Viktorija, in her seventh month of pregnancy, and her son were pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigators from the Sombor public prosecutor’s office and local police have secured the site, retrieved surveillance footage, and are analysing the vehicle’s “black box” to determine speed and other factors. Technical examinations of the crossing’s signalling and the train’s data recorder are also underway. The incident adds to a series of fatal level‑crossing collisions in Serbia, which claim an average of seven lives and injure about 60 people each year, prompting calls from rail safety officials for improved signage and driver awareness.

Authorities plan to compile a full technical report on the crossing’s condition and the circumstances of the crash, aiming to prevent further tragedies at Serbia’s “black‑spot” level crossings.