The Romanian lorry was not the cause of the serious crash on the „Trakia“ motorway, but an obstacle on the road. This was stated by the acting director of the National Investigation Service, Marian Marinov, as the investigation into the incident, which left 11 people dead and more than 50 injured, continues.
„This lorry did not cause the crash. It became an obstacle on the road. The person who collided with it caused the crash. That was a bus,“ Marinov said. He clarified that the truck driver’s responsibility depended on numerous circumstances and that no final conclusions could yet be drawn.
Two main versions are being examined
According to Marinov, one of the versions is that the lorry stopped because a vehicle in front of it had broken down. Investigators are also examining the possibility that the truck reduced its speed because of the fog and limited visibility, while the driver behind it failed to adapt to the road conditions.
The investigation will also establish whether the other drivers kept the required distance. This will be complicated by the fact that each subsequent collision changes the position of the vehicle in front and the traces left by the crash.
„One of the versions is that it stopped because of another vehicle in front of it. The other is that it slowed down because of the fog and lack of visibility, while the next driver failed to take this into account,“ said the acting director of the National Investigation Service.
More questioning and examinations are pending
All witnesses who were at the scene of the crash have already been questioned, and the investigation has been taken over by the investigator who was on duty on the day of the incident. Around 100 more people are yet to be questioned.
Forensic medical examinations of those who died have been ordered. A further 51 examinations of the injured are expected to be commissioned. Late in the evening, following a second interrogation, the 62-year-old driver of the Romanian lorry was released.
The condition of the road is also being examined
The prosecution has requested from the Road Infrastructure Agency all documents concerning the repairs and the commissioning of the section where the two crashes occurred.
According to Marinov, the road surface would have been a factor if the driver had had enough time to react. He pointed out that when a vehicle suddenly enters fog and a previously invisible vehicle appears, the possibility for reaction is different.
The investigation considers the crash in the opposite direction to be causally linked to the first one. According to Marinov, the vehicles there also entered the fog.