Survivor Recalls Horror of Zagreb Bus Crash as Croatian Rescuers Save Lives

Survivor Recalls Horror of Zagreb Bus Crash as Croatian Rescuers Save Lives
A bus crash near Zagreb on November 8 killed two people and injured 33 passengers, leaving survivors with severe physical injuries and lasting trauma. Among the six people seriously hurt was Stanko Đorđević, a 50-year-old Serbian passenger recovering at Dubrava Hospital in Zagreb.

According to information released by Croatia’s state prosecutor, the bus was traveling on the motorway near Ivanić-Grad when it moved into the emergency lane. Its front struck a metal barrier, causing the vehicle to veer off the road and overturn. Two women—a 17-year-old Montenegrin citizen and a 53-year-old Croatian citizen—died at the scene. Twenty-seven other passengers suffered less serious injuries.

Đorđević said the most painful memory was of the teenager, Vasilija P., who had been sitting in front of him. “I saw her crushed under the seat,” he said, adding that the images still return whenever he closes his eyes. He said he escaped the wreck before fully realizing the extent of his own injuries, which included three broken shoulder blades and a brain contusion.

The survivor’s account focused not only on the loss but also on the rescue effort. He recalled seven or eight ambulances arriving and said their speed and professionalism “saved at least five or six more lives.”

Đorđević expressed particular gratitude to Croatian ambulance crews, firefighters, police officers and Dubrava’s doctors and nurses. “Their humanity, empathy and care left an indelible mark on me and the other passengers,” he said.

Vasilija, a student at an art school in Kraljevo, was traveling with another student and a teacher to an international arts gathering in Prague. She was later buried in Kotor, Montenegro.