The son of the 66-year-old bus driver, injured in the serious accident in Sofia, told the painful story of his family. "My father has been a driver all his life, he was also a driver abroad. He lived in Germany, he offered us to go to him. At the last moment we gave up and convinced him to return to Bulgaria. He is 66 years old, on August 25 he will turn 67. He filed for retirement, he had 2 weeks left", Danil Petrov told "Nova TV".
In the accident on the night of August 15, 21-year-old Viktor Iliev crashed his "Audi" in a public transport bus at the intersection of "Vazkresenie" and "Konstantin Velichkov" boulevards. One person died - a 65-year-old Syrian doctor, and six people were injured.
"On Friday morning, I got a call from the Military Hospital. There were nearly 50 people in the emergency room, relatives of the injured. My father was in bed, in contact, his arm was injured, he had chest injuries, he was breathing with great effort", says Danil Petrov.
The driver's condition deteriorated dramatically on the second day. "They took him to intensive care, they drained his lungs. There are scratches on his liver, his arm is torn, there are major injuries to his lungs. He is currently in a coma, on command breathing," his son added.
The 66-year-old driver is no ordinary person. "He has a theological education, he built chapels and fountains," his son shared, describing his father as a man who dedicated his life to serving others.
Danil Petrov expressed his anger at the system that allowed the 21-year-old driver to drive. "For such drivers, it's one minute of adrenaline, and then the adrenaline remains for the loved ones. These are completely preventable accidents if the state works. He has 7 violations in 2 weeks, I haven't had that many in 10 years," he said.
The press center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs specified for "Nova TV" that during the period in which he was a driver, Viktor Iliev had a total of 8 violations. Of these - lack of technical inspection, first aid kit, fire extinguisher, reflective vest and wearing a seat belt as a passenger in a vehicle. Before getting a license - four violations, of which 4 fines and one ticket for speeding.
The Sofia City Prosecutor's Office charged Viktor Iliev with causing death by negligence. The court left him permanently in custody. During the court hearing, it became clear that a bottle of nitrous oxide was found in the car and there is testimony that he had used it.