The car's driver died in the hospital. The accident occurred at around 1 a.m. near the bridge's Hisarüstü exit on İstanbul's European side. The crane's tire blew out, forcing the piece of heavy equipment to stop in the bridge's center lane.
The crane's driver had tried to warn other motorists about the situation; however, a truck -- the license plate of which could not be determined -– crossed the center divider and crashed into the front of the crane, leaving the scene before police could be notified. Later, a car traveling in the direction of Edirne crashed into the back of the crane, trapping the car's driver, Erdal Çif, in the vehicle. Çif was rescued by firefighting teams and was taken to a nearby hospital; however, the critically wounded driver later died in hospital. The police warned motorists who had parked their cars on the side of the road to watch the incident to vacate the area. The bridge was closed to traffic in the Edirne direction because of the accident. Police have initiated an investigation into the incident.
