Crash on main route

Police pursuit ends in serious Reykjanesbraut crash, witnesses describe chase near Breiðholtsbraut, ambulances sent to scene

Nordic Observer · May 17, 2026 at 22:49
  • Vísir reports that two vehicles ended up off the road on Reykjanesbraut near Breiðholtsbraut.
  • Witnesses told the outlet that police had been pursuing one of the cars before the collision.
  • Two ambulances, one fire engine and multiple police cars were dispatched to the scene.
  • The available report did not establish injuries, road closures or the police rationale for the pursuit.

Two cars ended up off the road on Reykjanesbraut near Breiðholtsbraut after what witnesses described as a police pursuit, on a stretch of highway that carries traffic into and out of Reykjavík. Vísir reports that two ambulances and one fire engine were sent to the scene, along with a substantial number of police vehicles.

The account published by Vísir points to more than a routine traffic collision. Witnesses said police had been chasing one of the vehicles and that the pursuit ended in a crash, with both cars leaving the roadway near the Breiðholtsbraut junction. On a major arterial road in the capital area, that sequence matters beyond the drivers involved: emergency response, traffic disruption and the police decision to continue a chase all become part of the incident. The report as published did not establish how many people were inside the vehicles, whether anyone suffered serious injuries, or whether Reykjanesbraut was closed or partially blocked after the crash. It also did not include a police explanation of when the pursuit began, what prompted it, or whether officers had considered breaking it off before the collision.

For drivers in the capital region, the immediate fact was simpler. Two ambulances, a fire engine and multiple police cars were standing on Reykjanesbraut by Breiðholtsbraut after two vehicles had gone off the road.

Källor: Vísir