Another crash involving blue-bucket official limousines (a reference to cars with blue emergency beacons used by officials). Sverdlovsk Governor Misharin in hospital after traffic accident; his Mercedes crossed into the oncoming lane Sverdlovsk Region Governor Alexander Misharin was involved in a crash and taken to hospital, while local opposition figures are already saying that he crossed into the oncoming lane and that the driver of the car he collided with was killed. This is confirmed by Gazeta.Ru sources in the regional administration and the traffic police. The governor was returning from a trip to Severouralsk, one Yekaterinburg politician told Gazeta.Ru. According to him, Misharin had met with miners from the Sevuralboksitruda mine in Severouralsk, which is about 500 kilometers (310 miles) from Yekaterinburg. A Gazeta.Ru source in the regional administration clarified that the collision occurred after the escort vehicle had already overtaken a truck, while the governor's car did not manage to complete the maneuver. The same source said that, in addition to a leg injury, the governor also suffered facial wounds. A Gazeta.Ru source in the traffic police, when asked directly whether the governor's Mercedes was in the oncoming lane, answered in the affirmative. http://www.gazeta.ru/news/lastnews/2011/12/01/n_2118246.shtml For now, nothing is clear, and it is probably best to refrain from statements like "Misharin is a murderer," but here is how eyewitnesses described his motorcade's passage the day before. (via smitrich) This morning around 9:30, I was driving along at an easy pace in the right lane, doing about 90 km/h (56 mph), on the Serov highway toward Tagil, when I looked in the mirrors and saw someone flying up behind me. The people in the left lane were being flashed constantly with high beams, the light bar was flashing, they were honking, quacking. First three traffic police patrol cars flew past, I think Fords, then a black Merc, plate A003AA, and behind it an SUV, also black, couldn't make out the plates. They're really moving, I thought. I got curious how fast, so I tagged along after them, got up to about 170 km/h (106 mph), and they just kept pulling farther and farther away. Screw that, I thought, and went back to my previous speed. If they were pulling away that fast, they had to be doing at least 200 km/h (124 mph), kamikazes. I broke the rules myself, I admit it, but I was terribly curious And here's the video. No comment.