Four white crosses are now standing at the scene of the serious accident between Pleven and the village of Yasen, in which four young people between the ages of 18 and 21 died. The memorial signs were placed by their friends, who also organized a vigil in memory of the dead.
The crosses have photos and the names of the victims. On their backs, the friends have left questions for the municipality and the state about the condition of the road and the responsibility of the institutions.
„We want truth. We want responsibility. No excuses.“The friends state that they do not excuse road violations and do not hand out sentences, but they insist that the issues of road safety should not end with a press release. They call for the tragedy not to be used for political attacks and election campaigning.
The investigation continues
The accident occurred on October 8 at around 10:50 p.m. on the municipal road between Pleven and Yasen. According to the Pleven District Prosecutor's Office, an “Opel“ car, driven by a 20-year-old man, left the lane to the left, crossed the dividing island and entered oncoming traffic. After it overturned, a collision with a “BMW“ car followed.
During the inspection, the speedometer of the “Opel“ was blocked at 139 km/h. The prosecutor's office specifies that an expert examination must establish whether this was the actual speed immediately before the impact. A blood sample of the driver was also taken for testing for alcohol and narcotics.
Pre-trial proceedings have been initiated in the case for causing death by negligence of more than one person. An auto-technical and forensic medical examination is to be prepared to clarify the mechanism and causes of the accident. The question of bringing the surviving driver as a defendant will be assessed after his health condition stabilizes.
Postponed road repairs
After the accident, the Municipality of Pleven recalled that the major repairs of the road were postponed to 2025 due to the water crisis. An agreement was signed for the project with the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works, and its estimated cost is nearly 21 million leva.
The municipality indicates that the funds were redirected to urgent water and sanitation repairs. At the same time, a causal relationship between the postponed repairs and the accident has not been established. Whether the condition of the road played a role in the incident must be clarified with evidence and expert opinions.
On October 9, Pleven declared a day of mourning in memory of the four deceased. Two of them were students at the Medical University, which also declared three days of mourning.
Sources: glasnews.bg, bntnews.bg, btvnovinite.bg, bgonair.bg