The driver of the beige pickup truck, whose role is being investigated following the serious pileup on the Trakia Motorway, denies that he was the first vehicle involved in the incident. Speaking to BNT, the man said he was farther back in the convoy when the collisions began.
According to him, he managed to avoid a serious collision with the bus carrying passengers. In his account, the bus collided with the Romanian truck, after which the successive crashes began. The driver claims that he saw the incident in time and drove past the truck and bus, which had already collided.
“You were incredibly lucky,” the police officers who arrived at the scene told him, the man claims. He moved the pickup truck but stayed until the authorities arrived. He was then questioned and gave a statement.
There Are Conflicting Accounts About the Pickup Truck
Investigators are examining the pickup truck’s involvement in the crash. Some of the passengers on the bus said that it was the first car at the scene. The Romanian truck driver, however, stated in his testimony that there had been no other vehicle in front of him.
The crash occurred on November 10 near the Zimnitsa interchange, close to Yambol, in a collision involving 86 vehicles. Twelve people were killed.
The Investigation Continues
The National Investigation Service is working on several theories about the causes of the incident. Fifty-one expert examinations have been ordered, while the number of witnesses questioned is expected to exceed 100.
Investigators are checking whether the drivers had maintained the required distance and what the exact sequence of the collisions was. The investigation is ongoing, and there is still no final conclusion about the pickup truck’s role.