The Driver Who Caused the Death of 12-Year-Old Siyana Was Speeding

The driver who caused the death of 12-year-old Siyana was driving the truck at 83 kilometres per hour, when 70 kilometres per hour are allowed in that section.

The Sofia District Prosecutor’s Office has submitted an indictment against Georgi Alexandrov to the Pleven court in Pleven. The investigation concluded in less than two months. The fatal crash occurred on March 31 near the village of Telish, on the main road between Pleven and Lukovit. If found guilty, Alexandrov could face between 5 and 15 years in prison.

Why Did the Investigation Conclude So Quickly?

The case file on Siyana's death consists of 12 volumes. One evident reason for the speed of the investigation was public pressure following the crash. However, the key factor was that the forensic experts involved prepared their reports quickly. These reports formed the basis for pressing criminal charges against Georgi Alexandrov for causing death by negligence and inflicting serious bodily injury on another individual.

According to the prosecution, Alexandrov should have recognized that the wet road required a much lower speed to prevent an accident. Authorities are also investigating potential misconduct by employees of the Road Infrastructure Agency (RIA) regarding the road conditions, but that investigation is part of a separate case handled by the Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office.

A forensic road experiment and several expert assessments determined that Georgi Alexandrov entered a curve at high speed before hitting the car driven by Siyana’s grandfather, despite the wet road and downward slope.

"He was driving at 83 km/h, but the expert analysis indicates that under the specific conditions, he should have been driving at 60 km/h or even slower to avoid an accident. According to the conclusions of the technical report, the cause of the accident lies entirely in the actions of the truck driver," explained Hristina Lulcheva, Deputy District Prosecutor of Sofia.

Georgi Alexandrov has three prior convictions — for driving under the influence of alcohol and for driving with a revoked license. His driving license has been revoked three times: twice for ten months and once for one year and one month. Legally, he has since been rehabilitated for all three convictions.

"Since he has been officially rehabilitated, we cannot consider these past convictions as aggravating circumstances," said Sofia Deputy District Prosecutor Christina Lulcheva.

However, Georgi Alexandrov has been fined 12 times in 10 years, mostly for speeding, with his most recent fine last year.

"We can draw the court's attention to the fact that he has multiple violations of the Traffic Law," Christina Lulcheva added.

Siyana's father expressed hope for justice but criticised the leniency of current traffic death penalties in Bulgarian law.

"That’s what the law allows, and that’s what the charges are based on. I’ve said it multiple times—prosecutors work with what lawmakers provide. I want to use your cameras to say: there needs to be harsher penalties. There should be no suspended sentences in cases involving road deaths, as we’ve seen far too often," said Nikolay Popov, Siyana’s father.

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

During the investigation, evidence has been gathered of possible crimes committed by Road Infrastructure Agency employees, who are responsible for the maintenance and safety of the road where the crash occurred.

"Materials related to road infrastructure and the actions of individuals from the Road Infrastructure Agency were separated from the main case. Since the agency is based in Sofia, those materials were sent to the Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office for review," explained Natalia Nikolova, District Prosecutor of Sofia.

Two directorates within the RIA are responsible for ensuring road safety - Road Infrastructure Maintenance and Road Safety and Network Activity Planning.

All repair-related documentation from regional road administrations passes through these departments.

"That's right. Ivanichkov has been dismissed, but Desislava Paunova continues to work there," said Siyana’s father.

Once further expert reports are completed, the Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office will decide whether and against whom to bring charges regarding the condition of the road between Pleven and Lukovit.

New inspection of the fatal road section where 12 year-old girl Siyana died in a car accident