Police officer Ivan Georgiev, who was sent to secure the area of the serious crashes on the Trakia Motorway near Yambol, was nearly hit four times. Despite the patrol car’s warning lights being activated and reflective cones being placed, drivers continued to pass through the dangerous section.
“I was nearly hit four times,” Georgiev said. According to him, three cars and one heavy truck drove through the warning cones without reducing their speed sufficiently. Some of the drivers did not stop and continued along the road.
The danger remained even after the collisions
Georgiev was among the first police officers at the scene and had to close the motorway and secure the area. Dozens of crashed vehicles were already in the immediate vicinity, while firefighters, medical teams and his colleagues were helping the injured.
“There could have been another tragedy. I could have become the next statistic,” the police officer wrote in his appeal to drivers. He asked: “How much longer are we going to drive like this?”
On November 10, two major chain-reaction crashes occurred near Yambol in both directions of traffic. A total of 86 vehicles were involved. According to the latest official data, 11 people have died and 51 injured people have been admitted to hospital. Thirteen of those injured are in serious condition.
A driver has been detained
All those who died were involved in the crash in the lane heading towards Burgas. Dense fog and severely restricted visibility are among the circumstances being clarified by investigators.
There has also been a first arrest in the case—a Romanian heavy-goods vehicle driver. According to initial information, he was at the head of the convoy involved in the chain-reaction crash at kilometre 289. The detention does not mean guilt has been established, and the investigation is ongoing.
Traffic on the Trakia Motorway was fully restored during the night leading into November 11. However, visibility in the area was reduced again. November 11 was declared a day of national mourning in memory of those who died.
Sources: novini.bg