A Drunk Driver Hit a Family—Now a Baby Is Fighting for Life

A Drunk Driver Hit a Family—Now a Baby Is Fighting for Life
Overnight, a Mercedes allegedly crossed a red light on the Čačak bypass, where traffic was moving alternately through a single lane, and collided head-on with a Fiat traveling in the opposite direction. Police said the Mercedes driver, B. L., 34, had 1.54 promille of alcohol in his blood.

The Fiat was carrying a 24-year-old woman, a 28-year-old driver and two children. All four were injured, according to police and the Čačak General Hospital. The one-month-old girl suffered a head injury and was transferred to the Clinical Center in Belgrade. The mother, father and one-year-old boy were treated for minor injuries and released for home care.

Authorities said the suspect was detained for up to 12 hours under Serbia’s traffic-safety law. Police, acting on instructions from the Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office in Čačak, planned to file a criminal complaint alleging endangerment of public traffic and bring him in for questioning.

Later reports said the suspect was released after the detention period while awaiting trial. That account prompted anger among people familiar with the crash, particularly because the baby remained on life support in Belgrade with a hematoma and skull fracture, according to an unnamed source cited by RINA. “He drove drunk into a family,” the source said, questioning whether the driver could again get behind the wheel.

The opposition-aligned report repeated the police account of the alleged red-light violation, alcohol level and planned criminal charges, while emphasizing the contrast between the baby’s serious condition and the other family members’ minor injuries. The exact circumstances remain subject to investigation.