Ruiselede (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – A potato truck veered off Abeelstraat in Ruiselede, landing in a cornfield on Friday morning. Emergency services rescued the driver trapped inside the cab.
A field was filled with a full load of potatoes. The driver had to be freed from his cab by firefighters.
The accident occurred on Friday morning at approximately nine o’clock. Along Ruiselede’s Abeelstraat, Belgium, a guy was operating a truck loaded with potatoes. It’s a really narrow road. The vehicle had to overtake an automobile shortly after a mild curve.
To make it simpler for the truck to pass, the car’s driver first backed up a little.
Things went wrong as the driver attempted to pass the car. A cornfield beside the road was where the vehicle partially landed after overturning. A number of onlookers rushed to assist.
The man was rescued from his taxi by the fire brigade. To do this, they make a cut in the car’s glass. The man was safely taken out of the truck. The truck is currently being towed by a professional company. There are still a lot of potatoes in the cornfield.
How common are such accidents along Abeelstraat or this rural route?
Accidents involving trucks on rural roads like Abeelstraat are relatively common worldwide, though specific incident rates for Abeelstraat itself.
Heavy trucks account for a significant proportion of road fatalities and serious crashes globally. For example, in the 12 months ending March 2025, 157 people died in crashes involving heavy trucks in Australia, with a notable share occurring on rural roads.
In the United States in 2023, over half of fatal large-truck crashes happened on rural roads.
Trucks contribute disproportionately to fatal and serious injury crashes on such routes due to their size, load, and handling characteristics.
Though rural roads like Abeelstraat often have lower traffic volume, factors such as narrow lanes, limited visibility, and higher travel speeds can increase accident risk. Truck accidents spilling loads—like potatoes in this case—can also happen when drivers lose control or face road hazards.
