14 injured, 2 in Critical Condition after a Road Accident on Trakia Motorway

14 people were injured after an accident on Trakia Motorway in the direction of Sofia on 23^rd of May. The crash happened after an unsuccessful attempt by Turkish TIR lorry to overtake a bus from Sofia's public transport. Traffic on the motroway this morning was seriously disrupted.

Shortly after 7 am this morning, the driver of the Turkish TIR lorry made a risky maneuver, causing the bus to fall into a roadside ditch. 14 of the 25 passengers have been injured, including a 4-year-old child. Two passengers, a 60-year-old man and a 54-year-old woman, are in critical condition, with severe brain injuries.

Four ambulances in two return trips transported the injured passengers to hospitals in Sofia. Seven of the injured are admitted to St. Anna hospital, three in Isul hospital, four were admitted to the emergency hospital Pirogov, including the 4 year old child.

The drivers of the two vehicles were not injured. The lorry driver refused to comment in front of BNT camera. Traffic Police said the alcohol samples of both drivers were negative. One of the versions for the cause of the accident is that the TIR driver fell asleep at the wheel and ploughed into the wrong side of the road.

Hours after the incident, there were delays and traffic flow disruptions on Trakia motorway. By 9:30, the lane in direction to sofia was temporarily closed for the removal of the fallen bus. Traffic was redirected to bypass routes.

It took nearly an hour and a half for the Rescue Service teams to pull out the bus from the roadside ditch.

Traffic on Trakia motorway was restored after 11:30.