National Investigation Service Probes Several Lines of Inquiry Into Trakia Motorway Crash That Left 12 Dead

The National Investigation Service is investigating several possible causes of the horrific crash on the Trakia Motorway, which claimed the lives of 12 people. A total of 51 expert examinations have been commissioned, and a large number of witnesses have already been interviewed. The total number of witnesses is expected to exceed 100. This was announced by acting director of the National Investigation Service, Marian Marinov. All witness statements are to be analysed and cross-checked to establish whether the drivers maintained the required safe distance and the sequence in which the collisions occurred.

All witnesses who were at the scene of the accident have already been questioned by the Yambol Regional Directorate of the Ministry of the Interior. Forensic medical examinations have been commissioned for both the deceased and the injured.

Marian Marinov, Acting Director of the National Investigation Service: “Around 100 people who were present at the scene of the accident are yet to be questioned. These include security personnel, police officers, firefighters and anyone else who was there and can give an account of what they witnessed.”

The investigation is still at a very early stage, and it is too soon to draw any definitive conclusions. The experts who will conduct the examinations have not yet been appointed. A key part of the investigation will be a comprehensive forensic examination combining vehicle technical analysis and forensic medicine. Several possible scenarios are being examined, including the role of the Romanian heavy goods vehicle, which significantly reduced its speed.

Marian Marinov, Acting Director of the National Investigation Service: “One possibility is that the vehicle stopped because of another vehicle in front of it. Another is that it slowed down because the fog was extremely dense, and the driver behind failed to take this into account. The vehicles then collided one after another because each driver assumes that the vehicle ahead has no obstacle in its path and that there cannot be one. They fail to consider that, if the vehicle in front is involved in a collision, it may be unable to stop. They are not keeping a sufficient distance.”

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Investigators are also examining the link between the initial crash and the subsequent collision in the opposite lane.

Marian Marinov, Acting Director of the National Investigation Service: “This is because there were vehicles at the scene that had crossed the central reservation. This was causally linked to the need for them to stop, but they were also driving in foggy conditions and had to contend with the prevailing road conditions.”

According to Marian Marinov, the condition of the road surface is not a decisive factor in the investigation.

Data from the tachographs of the heavy goods vehicles involved is also due to be analysed.