A Greek court has sentenced a Bulgarian truck driver to six years and 11 months in prison.
In August last year, he hit cars waiting to pay tolls in Komotini with his truck. Three passengers in one car died when the car caught fire. Four people in another car were seriously injured in the accident.
The Greek magistrates have also accepted mitigating circumstances. The Bulgarian driver's defense has proven to the court that the car with the victims was parked incorrectly and this did not allow the Bulgarian driver to react adequately to the situation.
Initially, the prosecution requested life imprisonment, but the court accepted that the Bulgarian did not perform a dangerous driving maneuver and accepted a sentence for "causing a traffic accident through negligence".
The driver's blood tests proved that he did not use alcohol or drugs.
The Bulgarian has been returned to prison in the city of Komotini, reports the Greek national television ERT.