The Polish PM has been hurt in a car accident - the second collision involving her convoy in just a few months.

Beata Szydlo, 53, suffered bruises after a vehicle driven by a 20-year-old man crashed into her black Audi limousine in her hometown of Oswiecim, near Krakow.

She was treated at a nearby hospital and later taken on a stretcher by ambulance to a helicopter which flew her to the capital Warsaw for medical tests.

The prime minister's condition was described as "good".

Image: Beata Szydlo on a stretcher in an ambulance on her way to a helicopter

However, the smash has led to security concerns as the country's president and defence minister were also involved in car accidents in the past year. Neither was injured.


The interior minister has now called an emergency meeting with leaders in the government protection office, who look after security for the PM and other officials.

Image: Ms Szydlo and UK counterpart Theresa May met in November

Ms Szydlo had been in a fleet of cars travelling along a main road when a Fiat 500 coming from a nearby street drove into her vehicle.

The limousine was forced off the road and hit a tree. The PM as well as the driver and a security officer were taken to hospital.

In November, several government cars collided during a state visit to Israel.

Ms Szydlo was travelling in the convoy but was not in one of the cars involved. Two Polish officials were injured in the crash.

Image: Polish President Andrzej Duda was involved in a car accident last year

Speaking about the latest incident, Rafal Bochenek told public broadcaster TVP Info: "Fortunately, nothing serious happened to the prime minister."

But fears have been raised that the crash is being "played down".

Roman Polko, former head of Polish special forces, said: "The government protection bureau is expected to predict such situations.

"This was a very serious accident. I'm very much concerned that it is being played down."

Image: Defence minister Antoni Macierewicz escaped uninjured from an eight-car collision

Julia Pitera of opposition party Civic Platform told TVP Info: "It's frightening to live in a country where, within 11 months, the president, prime minister and defence minister are involved in car accidents."

In March 2016, a limousine taking president Andrzej Duda on a motorway in Poland suffered a burst rear tyre.

His driver managed to steer the car onto the hard shoulder without colliding with other vehicles.

Last month, defence minister Antoni Macierewicz escaped uninjured from an eight-car collision in central Poland.

In 2010, the then-president Lech Kaczynski and his wife Maria were among 96 people killed when a Polish air force plane crashed near the Russian city of Smolensk.