A volunteer firefighter responding to a timber-logging accident on a forest path near Hrádek on the Klatovy region struck a father and an eight-year-old son with a quad bike, according to local police and rescue officials. The incident occurred shortly before noon on Monday, September 30, when two emergency vehicles—a Ford Ranger service vehicle and a trailer-towing quad bike driven by a 47-year-old firefighter—traveled along a narrow wood road to reach a forestry worker seriously injured in the woods.
How the Emergency Response Led to the Forest Collision
The sequence of events began when Sušice volunteer firefighters received an alert regarding a severe workplace injury in a forested area between Kašovice and Hrádek u Sušice. As described by unit commander Bohumír Bucifal, the emergency crew traveled in an operational Ford Ranger followed by a quad bike outfitted with a trailer. In a narrow curve on the forest path, the Ford Ranger stopped near a 37-year-old man and his son to clarify the precise coordinates of the accident site. Bucifal noted that the quad bike operator—traveling at roughly 15 to 20 kilometers per hour while checking his towed trailer—did not have enough time to brake behind the stopped truck.
To avoid a rear-end collision with the service vehicle, the driver steered the quad bike off the road toward the edge of the forest. Police spokesperson Michal Schön confirmed that the left front wheel of the quad bike made direct contact with both pedestrians. Bucifal emphasized that the driver had no line of sight to the father and son because the Ford Ranger completely blocked them from view. Following the impact, emergency responders transported both the man and the boy to the hospital as a precautionary measure. While Schön stated initially that both suffered injuries and required hospital care, Bucifal maintained that subsequent medical evaluations and examinations by an attending physician showed neither individual exhibited outward signs of injury.
Community Backlash and the Firefighter’s Defense
In the aftermath of the collision, the driver of the quad bike faced a barrage of hostile online commentary and verbal attacks from the public. Bucifal strongly defended his subordinate against these criticisms, pointing out the agonizing choices emergency responders face under split-second pressure. The unit commander noted that if the driver had known pedestrians stood in the escape path, he never would have executed that maneuver, adding that striking the service vehicle directly would have risked injuring the quad bike crew instead. Both Bucifal and Schön confirmed that breath tests administered to all participants returned negative results. Local authorities and police investigators continue to examine the exact circumstances of the crash, while the Sušice fire unit remains in contact with the family to offer potential assistance.
Did You Know? The Sušice volunteer fire unit deployed both a Ford Ranger service vehicle and a specialized quad bike equipped with a trailer because the injured forestry worker was located deep within a narrow, heavily wooded tract that standard emergency trucks could not easily reach.
Injuries reported after forest road collision near Klatovy
Where did the collision take place?
The incident occurred on a narrow forest road between Hrádek and Kašovice in the Klatovy region.
Who was involved in the accident?
What injuries did the father and son sustain?
Police reported that the man and boy suffered injuries and were taken to the hospital by firefighters, though the unit commander stated that medical evaluations at the scene showed no outward signs of injury and the transport was conducted as a precaution.
How have local authorities and unit leaders reacted?
Police spokesperson Michal Schön confirmed that breath tests for all participants were negative and that police are investigating the crash. Unit commander Bohumír Bucifal defended the driver against hostile online attacks, emphasizing that the operator could not see the pedestrians because the service vehicle blocked his view.
Are the emergency responders in touch with the victims?
Yes, the fire unit remains in contact with the father and son and has expressed readiness to provide assistance.
How should emergency response units adapt their spacing on narrow forest tracks to prevent similar blind-spot collisions in the future?
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