The prosecution will not bring charges against the Romanian truck driver detained after the serious pile-up on the „Trakia“ Motorway near Yambol. The driver was detained for 24 hours under the Ministry of Interior Act and will be released after a second interrogation.
The Romanian truck was at the beginning of the first of the two pile-ups. Eleven people died in the accidents, while more than 50 were injured.
The investigation is continuing
The pre-trial proceedings are being conducted by the National Investigation Service. They began at the Yambol Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Interior under the supervision of the Yambol District Prosecutor’s Office, and after the initial actions were assigned to investigators due to their particular factual and legal complexity.
More than 50 witnesses have been questioned so far. The questioning of injured people who are hospitalized and able to testify is continuing. Six inspections of the accident scene have been carried out, including with technical equipment and a drone.
Twenty vehicles that played a more significant role in the accidents have been seized. The truck driven by the Romanian citizen is among them. The vehicles are to undergo additional inspections.
Fog and the condition of the road surface under investigation
Samples have been taken from the asphalt surface to examine its grip. The Road Infrastructure Agency has been asked to provide the documentation for the commissioning and repair of the road section, and once it is received, a construction and technical expert assessment will be commissioned.
Investigators are also requesting data on the weather conditions at the time of the accidents. An automotive technical expert assessment is forthcoming, which must clarify the mechanism of the collisions, as well as a comprehensive automotive technical and forensic medical expert assessment. It must establish the causal link between the accidents, the deaths of 11 people and the injuries sustained by the other victims.
According to witness statements, the truck with Romanian registration reduced its speed in an area with very dense fog. It is still being clarified whether the driver stopped, by how much he reduced his speed and whether he entered from the side lane.
„It is still too early to talk about charges, as procedural and investigative actions, further questioning of witnesses and the commissioning of expert assessments are yet to take place,“ said Yambol District Prosecutor Doychin Doychev.Once the expert assessments have been completed, the prosecution will determine whether there are grounds for bringing specific individuals to criminal responsibility. At present, the Romanian driver has not been charged.
Sources: bntnews.bg, nova.bg, btvnovinite.bg