The celebration ended with the deaths of three girls: a drunk Mercedes driver fled after the crash

A fatal road traffic accident occurred in the city of Brody in Lviv region, in which three underage girls died and two other teenagers were injured. After the crash the Mercedes driver left the scene, but law enforcement located and detained him.

This was reported on July 20, 2026 by the Lviv Regional Prosecutor’s Office.

According to preliminary investigation data, the accident occurred at around 02:00 on Ivana Bohuna Street. The Mercedes was heading toward the center of Brody. On a curved section of the road the driver lost control, ran onto the shoulder, collided with a tree and then with a concrete power pole. The vehicle overturned from the powerful impact.

There were six people in the cabin: the driver and five underage passengers. Four girls were seated on the rear seat. During the accident they were thrown out of the vehicle.

At the scene three passengers died — two 16-year-olds and one 15-year-old girl. Another 16-year-old victim was hospitalized in serious condition to the intensive care unit.

A 17-year-old passenger who was seated in the front also sustained injuries. After the crash he independently sought medical assistance.

According to preliminary information, the group was returning from a celebration. The day before two passengers were celebrating their birthdays.

After the collision the driver left the scene. Law enforcement quickly established his whereabouts and detained him in accordance with Article 208 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine.

The detainee was identified as a 24-year-old resident of Brody. According to the medical examination, the alcohol content in his body was almost twice the permissible limit.

The head of the Department for the Protection of Children’s Interests and Combating Domestic Violence of the Lviv Regional Prosecutor’s Office, Yurii Matlakh, emphasized that the death of three minors was an unprecedented tragedy in scale for the region.

“The death of three minors in a single road accident is an unprecedented tragedy for Lviv region in the last decade. We will do everything to ensure the investigation is thorough, objective and as prompt as possible, and that every circumstance of this tragedy receives the appropriate legal assessment,” – emphasized the head of the Department for the Protection of Children’s Interests and Combating Domestic Violence of the regional prosecutor’s office, Yurii Matlakh.

Under the procedural guidance of the Lviv Regional Prosecutor’s Office, information was entered into the Unified Register of Pre-Trial Investigations regarding the violation of road safety rules by a person in a state of alcohol intoxication that caused the death of several people. Proceedings have been opened under Part 4 of Article 286-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

Law enforcement are currently deciding on notifying the detainee of suspicion. Initial investigative actions are ongoing. The pre-trial investigation is being carried out by investigators of the Main Department of the National Police in Lviv region.

Earlier we wrote:

• 1.62‰ and fleeing after the impact: in Korabelnyi district a drunk driver hit a 17-year-old moped rider
• “Yesterday was a graduation, today — a funeral”: in Mykolaiv an Audi driver was taken into custody after the deaths of a mother and daughter
• 2.51‰ and two fatalities: an Audi driver was notified of suspicion after an accident in Mykolaiv
• A night trip ended in remand: an Audi driver was detained after a fatal accident in Mykolaiv
• A child, a woman and two police officers died after a Mercedes drove into an underground pedestrian underpass