UPDATE: Driver confirmed dead after accident leaves his lorry hanging over Stallbacka bridge in Trollhättan

UPDATE: Wednesday, November 8 at 3:51 pm

THE police have confirmed the death of a lorry driver whose vehicle crashed into the Stallbacka bridge in Trollhättan last night, Tuesday 7.

Three more people were reported to have been injured, with one of them hospitalised.

They have not yet been able to verify his identity but he is believed to have been a foreign national. As explained on the police website, they are cooperating with foreign authorities in an effort to establish the man’s identity and enable them to inform his next of kin.

Three lanes of the E45 were reopened this morning after the lorry was finally removed from its position dangling some 32 metres above the River Göta. However, one of the northbound lanes is still closed, according to the Swedish Transport Administration.

A report of gross negligence in traffic has allegedly been drawn up by the relevant authorities, reported svt.se this Wednesday 8.

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Wednesday, November 8 at 1:26 am

A lorry that crashed into a guardrail and caught fire on the middle of the Stallbacka bridge in Trollhättan is in danger of plunging into the River Göta some 32 metres below.

The incident occurred just before 7pm this Tuesday, November 7. According to the police, one person has been taken to hospital with unreported injuries.

However, it is unclear whether it is the lorry driver or someone else who has been taken to hospital. Two people reportedly had minor injuries and did not require hospital treatment.

Mathias Jonasson, one of those involved in the rescue operation informed svt.se that: ‘There is an imminent risk of it falling into the river’.

‘We have extinguished the fire and we are trying to get heavy lifters who can secure the vehicle so that it does not tip over’, explained Jonasson.

As a result of the accident, the Stallbacka bridge is closed in both directions and there are long queues on the E45. Boat traffic on the Göta has also been suspended.

Rejäl trafikolycka mitt på Stallbackabron i Trollhättan!
Lastbil som hänger över kanten på bron! 😱https://t.co/w8hVOxhMw8 pic.twitter.com/c488sRbU3E

— 🅽🅾🆁🅳 🇸🇪🇺🇦🇮🇱 (@rnord) November 7, 2023

How did the accident happen?

The sequence of events is still uncertain but according to police spokesperson Peter Aldersson: ‘It seems that it was a lorry and a car that initially collided and then the lorry hit the railings and collided with another car’.

‘It will take a while before we know what has happened’, Adlersson explained. Emergency services and police remain at the scene.

An eyewitness told the aforementioned news outlet: ‘The lorry is hanging a little outside the railing, it is a bit remarkable, one might think. The E45 is completely closed and there is huge chaos among the traffic’.

According to the Swedish Transport Administration’s forecast, the Stallbacka bridge could remain closed until midday tomorrow, Wednesday 8.