The French magazine "Courier de Balkan" has named 13 people as heroes for 2025. For Bulgaria, the person of the year is Nikolay Popov, the father of 12-year-old Siyana, who died in an accident, wrote "Nova Televizia".
We recall that Siyana died on March 31, 2025 in an accident near Telish. Her death sparked protests throughout Bulgaria due to the deplorable state of the roads. The driver of the truck involved in the incident is in custody with a permanent measure of "detention in custody". The specialized magazine recalls that he was also punished for driving under the influence of alcohol.
"The deplorable state of the roads only fuels the anger. The section of the road where Siyana was killed is a frequent scene of accidents, especially with heavy goods vehicles, and no improvements have ever been made. Only after the protests did the government rush to begin partial road repairs.
Bulgaria has the highest road fatality rate in Europe - 74 deaths per million inhabitants. It also has one of the highest road fatalities in Europe in absolute terms: 478 people died in 2024, to the point that Bulgarian media is calling it a “war on the roads,” the publication says.
After the death of his daughter, Nikolay Popov became an activist against this “war on the roads.”
He does not hesitate to denounce the corruption and incompetence of elected officials when it comes to road safety. In August, he reacted on his Facebook page against new legislation that seeks to shift all responsibility for accidents onto drivers. “I have not seen any measures aimed at the public administration or its representatives. There are no proposals regarding poorly built roads and poor workmanship. This type of crime is completely ignored and it seems to me that this is completely intentional“, Nikolay Popov said at the time.
Also, Siyana's father decided to establish a foundation in his daughter's name and began making donations and rescue actions for other children in trouble. In August, he donated the compensation from the insurance company for his murdered daughter to the intensive care unit of the Burgas University Hospital.