A man in his mid-20s has died following a head-on collision between a car and a bus on Route 26 outside Gislaved. Four people from the bus were taken to hospital with minor injuries, while 29 passengers were on board, mostly 18-year-olds. The accident occurred around 6:10 p.m. on Friday evening, and the road was closed.
The accident occurred on Route 26 near Hestra, north of Gislaved in Jönköping County, around 6:10 p.m. on October 24, 2025. A car with a single driver collided head-on with a non-scheduled bus. Both vehicles ended up in the ditch, but the bus remained on all four wheels. The car's driver, a man in his mid-20s, suffered serious injuries and later died. His relatives have been notified.
The bus carried 29 people, mainly 18-year-olds, returning from a school trip to Stockholm. They were from Falkenberg municipality and included high school students and a teacher. Four of them – two women and one man in their late teens, plus a woman in her 50s – were taken to hospital with minor injuries. “Some students and a teacher have minor injuries. Everyone has seen medical staff,” said Dan Randelid, head of child and education services in Falkenberg municipality.
The rescue operation was extensive, involving at least eight ambulances. “The bus is in the ditch but on all four wheels,” described Ola Nilsson, team leader at SOS Alarm. The road, lacking a median barrier at the site, was closed in both directions, with traffic rerouted via Hestra. It was expected to reopen around 10:15 p.m.
Police have opened a preliminary investigation into careless driving to determine the cause. No one is suspected at this time, and both the car and bus will be seized for technical examination. Uninjured passengers were taken to a gathering point by a replacement bus. “Those not taken by ambulance have been transported together to a gathering point,” police stated.