Investigators conducted new inspection at the road accident site where 12-year-old girl tragically lost her life

A team of investigators from the National Investigation Service conducted a new inspection today at the site of the serious accident on the Telish - Radomirci road, where 12-year-old Siyana tragically lost her life earlier this week.

Experts were also on-site, carrying out a forensic experiment to determine all the circumstances surrounding the road accident.

“We have examined all circumstances related to both the motor vehicle and the road surface of the specific section,” explained Ivo Ivanov, head of the Criminal Department at the National Investigation Service.

Investigators declined to comment on the condition of the road surface at this stage, awaiting the results of the case-related expert assessments.

“There will be an automotive technical expert assessement and an asphalt surface assessment,” the investigators stated, adding that similar assessments were conducted following the Svoge accident in the Iskar Gorge. Road samples will be taken.

“We carried out a very thorough inspection of the geometry of the road, which is particularly important as there have been many accidents here. The question is why. Most of the accidents involve trucks with semi-trailers, similar to this one. We need to answer why and how these accidents occur,” said expert Prof. Stanimir Karapetkov.

Currently, the traction coefficient is one of the important parameters, but it is not the only one.

"In Bulgarian law, we do not have a precise definition for what the coefficient of friction should be as a parameter. But we know the European standards and adhere to them. Moreover, we know when an asphalt is coarse-grained or fine-grained, whether the surface is dry or wet, and what parameters the coefficient of friction should meet. Not only that, but we also measured the geometry of the road, especially the longitudinal and transverse slopes, which we believe are relevant to the accident. We also measured the type of road surface," explained Prof. Karapetkov.

The automotive technical expert assessment will be prepared last—after the forensic medical assessments, the results from the asphalt structure tests, and the witness statements in the case. Experts will take into account the road's condition:

“We specifically looked into the state of the road patches—their type and size. Clearly, they have an impact on the lateral stability of vehicles, especially trucks with semi-trailers,” the expert said.

“The different types of asphalt negatively affect vehicle stability,” he added.

At this stage, it is too early for investigators to determine a leading theory in the investigation. They will also look into the signals submitted to the Road Infrastructure Agency by members of the public regarding this section.

Otherwise, according to the expert, road signs alone are not enough to make the stretch in question safe"

Moreover, according to the expert, road signs alone are not enough to ensure the safety of this stretch of the road.

“There is much room for improvement with road signs... Road signs alone would not improve the safety of this section,” the expert commented.

• Father of 12-year-old child who died in a car accident: The truck driver didn’t get out to help, he was drinking coffee

Earlier today, investigators entered the building of the Regional Road Administration in Pleven, which is responsible for the maintenance of the fatal stretch of road where 12-year-old Siyana died.

According to BNT sources, searches are being conducted at the Regional Road Administration, and documentation related to the maintenance of the road section between Lukovit and Telish, as well as repairs carried out in this section, is being seized. Additionally, all signals and instructions submitted by drivers, citizens, local mayors, and Traffic Police authorities are being reviewed.