Greek authorities are pressing ahead with their investigation into a tragic car crash on the Egnatia Highway in Northern Greece that claimed three lives and left a family devastated. The accident occurred near a toll station when a Bulgarian truck plowed into two cars, sparking a fire that trapped passengers inside.
The truck driver faces serious charges, including negligent homicide, dangerous driving, and causing bodily harm through negligence. He is currently under police guard in hospital after undergoing surgery on his hand. Investigators are awaiting toxicology results to determine whether he had consumed alcohol and are also examining whether distraction, misjudgment, or mechanical failure played a role in the crash.
Eyewitness accounts of horror
Witnesses described harrowing scenes as flames engulfed the vehicle carrying a 59-year-old driver, his 57-year-old wife, a 61-year-old friend, and a 47-year-old woman. Only the 47-year-old managed to escape through a window. Their burning car collided with another vehicle carrying the couple’s pregnant daughter, her husband, and their two young children, aged four and five.
“ What has stayed with us are the screams of the people inside,” one witness said.
Autopsies and examinations underway
Autopsies on the three victims are expected today, along with the results of the driver’s medical tests, which may shed light on the exact circumstances of the collision.
Human error under scrutiny
Commenting on the tragedy, Egnatia Highway CEO Konstantinos Koutsoukos stressed that “90% of road accidents are due to human error” and urged drivers to exercise extreme caution, especially with increased summer traffic.
He dismissed claims of inadequate road signage at the toll station but admitted that maintenance in some sections of the highway is “less than ideal and requires improvement.”
The investigation remains ongoing, as grieving relatives and a shocked public await answers.
