Two lorry drivers killed in crash on N48
The road between Balkbrug and Hoogeveen is expected to remain closed until Wednesday morning, according to a local incident report.
Two lorry drivers died in a road accident on the N48 near Zuidwolde on Tuesday. According to a local incident report, three lorries and three cars were involved; police are investigating the circumstances.
The accident happened at around 3.15pm on the section between Balkbrug and Hoogeveen, according to the report. One of the lorries overturned and lost its load on the road. The occupants of the cars were checked at the scene by ambulance staff and, according to the same source, did not need to go to hospital.
The N48 was closed in both directions. The incident report says the road surface and crash barriers were damaged and expects the road to be reopened before Wednesday morning’s rush hour. For road users, the closure mainly means disruption between Zuidwolde, Balkbrug and Hoogeveen.
Verkeersongevallenanalyse attended the scene to secure evidence. The cause is not yet known. No public police statement has been found naming a suspected cause or responsibility; no conclusions can therefore be drawn on that matter.
The N48 is a road of approximately nineteen kilometres between the Hoogeveen interchange and the junctions with the N34 and N340 near Ommen. Rijkswaterstaat describes part of it as a national road; a section near Ommen is provincially managed. This makes the route important for regional and lorry traffic.
In serious road accidents, closures last longer because of investigation, recovery and repairs. The closure is therefore not only a traffic measure but also part of the investigation into the safety of the location. Only after the investigation has been completed will it become clear whether infrastructure, the vehicle, traffic behaviour or a combination of these played a role.
The information available remains limited for now. The report of the two fatalities comes from a local news report that names the police as its source; no separate police publication or current Rijkswaterstaat notice about this specific accident was available. New information about reopening the road or the investigation may still alter the picture.
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The reported fatalities, vehicles involved and road closure can be traced to a local incident report citing the police. The cause of the accident has expressly not been filled in and remains uncertain.
- confirmed Two lorry drivers died in the accident. — 112 Nederland reports this, referring to the police. source
- confirmed Three lorries and three cars were involved in the accident. — This is stated in the incident report. source
- confirmed The N48 runs for approximately nineteen kilometres between Hoogeveen and the N34/N340 near Ommen. — Rijkswaterstaat describes the road’s length and route. source
- confirmed The cause of the accident remains unknown. — The report says that Verkeersongevallenanalyse is investigating; no cause has been established. source
Editor's note
The incident report names the police as the source for the two fatalities and the road closure. No separate police or Rijkswaterstaat publication about this specific accident was found; details of the circumstances remain unknown.Sources
- Twee vrachtwagenchauffeurs komen om het leven bij zwaar ongeluk — 112 Nederland
- Autoweg N48 - Informatie en werkzaamheden — Rijkswaterstaat
More on this in Dutch media
- NU.nl — „n48 zuidwolde”
- De Telegraaf — „n48 zuidwolde”
- AD — „n48 zuidwolde”