For decades, traffic accidents in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), particularly in the capital Sarajevo, have filled media space, and it’s particularly interesting to see how traffic accidents were covered during a time when there were significantly fewer cars on the roads.
Thus, the Sarajevo Historical Archives published a report from the Yugoslav Newspaper in 1938 about an accident that occurred in Cengic Vila.
“On the night from Saturday to Sunday, a car accident took place in Cengic Vila, in which Kosta Ristovic sustained serious injuries and was taken to the state hospital in Sarajevo. A car numbered 6-99, owned by Mr. Potogija – who was not in the vehicle – was passing through Cengic Vila. A group of villagers was walking ahead. This is the time of distilling, a time when, in the vicinity of Sarajevo, people recklessly perish in brawls, fights, and accidents. The group passing through Alipasin Most was drunk, under the influence of freshly distilled rakija, the liquor that annually claims more lives in our regions than many diseases,” the report stated.
They also mentioned that the car itself did not escape unscathed.
“The ‘green poison’ affected those late-night passersby who could barely stand. Walking in a straight line was out of the question. The villagers staggered in zigzags, constantly changing direction, always ending up in front of the car, no matter which way it turned. The car braked, but it was too late. The car struck Kosta Ristovic, knocking him down and inflicting severe injuries to his head and entire body. However, the car itself did not escape unscathed in the collision with a hard Bosnian head. It fell into a ditch and sustained damage,” the newspaper wrote.
The article’s conclusion on this car accident is also interesting.
“Kosta Ristovic‘s companions did not act heroically. They drank with him all night, but when the accident happened, they cowardly abandoned him and fled. Traffic at Cengic Vila is quite lively. This is, after all, the place where the most accidents happen in our area. Soon, another car appeared, this time a police vehicle. Inside was Milko Lazaric, an official from the Police Administration, who administered first aid to the injured man and transported him in the police car to the state hospital, where he was admitted to the surgical ward for treatment. Authorities are conducting an investigation into the incident,” the article concludes, Klix.ba writes.
E.Dz.
