Yoana Lalova, deputy chairwoman of the European Transport Cluster, presented an allegation of an €8,000 payment being demanded after the serious pile-up on the Trakia Motorway. According to her, the sum was demanded from a carrier whose truck had to be removed from the scene of the accident, and the allegation is linked to Dinko Valev.
“He did not tow it, and colleagues helped free of charge,” Lalova said on NOVA. She pointed out that representatives of the transport sector had informed the director of the Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Interior in Yambol about Valev’s actions. According to her, reports of similar cases are not new and include allegations of cargo being withheld until certain sums were paid.
Dinko Valev denies asking for money for parking or towing the passenger cars damaged in the crash. He уточifies that payment is required only for specialized services involving heavy goods vehicles – towing trucks, transferring and transporting the goods, as well as hauling the trucks to their owners.
“I am not asking any passenger car for money – neither for parking nor for towing,” Valev said. He described the information being circulated as an attack by competitors. At present, the information released consists of mutually contradictory claims, with no cited confirmation that extortion was committed or that charges have been brought.
Questions remain surrounding the crash
The incident occurred near the 289th kilometer of the Trakia Motorway. One of the theories being discussed is the presence of an Austrian SUV in front of the Romanian truck. According to Lalova, publicly available information indicates that the SUV had its hazard lights on, but it is unclear whether it was stopped, moving slowly or had broken down.
A burning vehicle is also being discussed as possibly connected to the crash; it is believed that it may have mistakenly entered the oncoming lane. Lalova stressed that these are hypotheses and that the exact sequence of events must be established through expert examinations.
Former Traffic Police chief Rosen Rapchev cited the combination of poor weather conditions and inappropriate speed as a factor in serious accidents. Engineer Ivan Tabakov said that in similar incidents, it is usually not a matter of a single cause, but of a buildup of circumstances.