Eight spectators injured after vehicle crashes near Tour de France stage 9 finish
Eight spectators were injured after a media vehicle travelling in the Tour de France convoy crashed into roadside barriers shortly before the finish of Stage 9 in Ussel on Sunday.
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The crash happened at around 5pm, about twenty minutes before the riders reached the finish in the town in central France. The vehicle struck several metal barriers on the left side of the road, approximately 350 metres from the finish line, hitting spectators gathered behind them.
Local authorities told AFP that eight people were injured. Seven suffered minor injuries, while a woman aged 59 was seriously hurt. Her injuries were not considered life threatening.
Two of the injured spectators were taken to hospital, according to a police source quoted by French newspaper Le Parisien. The remaining six did not require transport by emergency services.
Police believe the driver, a man in his sixties, may have suffered a medical episode before losing control of the vehicle. Authorities said this was the leading explanation for the crash.
The public prosecutor’s office in Tulle has opened an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident. The driver was not taken into police custody.
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