The investigation into the serious accident that blackened the weekend and closed the "Trakia" highway for hours continues, with the authorities working on several main versions of the causes that led to the tragedy. The incident, which killed three people, occurred on Saturday morning in the section between Stara and Nova Zagora, after a passenger car went over the guardrail and hit an oncoming car head-on.
According to Senior Commissioner Krasimir Hristov, Director of the ODMVR-Stara Zagora, the accident occurred at around 9 a.m. on November 15 at the 209th kilometer of the highway. For reasons still unclear, the driver lost control of the car, hit the dividing barrier, jumped over it and collided head-on with a car in the other lane. All three participants in the collision died on the spot - the 23-year-old driver and a family from the other car. A girl traveling in the car in the direction of Burgas was also injured.
The District Prosecutor of Stara Zagora, Maria Mihaylova, announced that pre-trial proceedings were immediately initiated, which, due to the complexity of the case, was assigned to an investigator from the District Investigation Department. "The appointment of multiple expert examinations is pending. The main one will be the auto-technical one, which should provide an answer to the cause of the traffic accident, as well as the mechanism by which it occurred," specified Prosecutor Mihaylova. Forensic medical examinations have also been ordered to establish the causes of death of the deceased. The investigation is expected to be completed within the statutory three-month period.
Although the road section is newly paved and in excellent condition, several factors may have led to the fatal accident. According to automotive expert Stefan Draganov, the most likely cause is driver distraction, which led to a sharp maneuver and subsequent overreaction with the steering wheel, which caused the car to lose balance.
Among other possible causes that will be verified by the experts are:
⇒ Speed inappropriate for road conditions, specifically the thick fog that was in the area at the time of the accident.
⇒ A technical malfunction, such as a flat or soft tire, which could have led to a sudden loss of control.
⇒ Lack of experience in responding to extreme road situations.
The incident blocked traffic in the direction of Burgas for more than five hours, which led to serious congestion on the bypass routes through Stara Zagora.