Public outrage erupted after the BMW driver involved in the fatal crash in Rhodes was released under restrictive conditions, even as relatives and friends were mourning the two victims — a mother and daughter who lost their lives on the road.
Appearing before judicial authorities, the driver stated:
“The loss of their lives, with any involvement on my part, is something that has devastated me. It has left me in an awful psychological and physical condition, and honestly I can barely defend myself or testify, as I am literally shattered by their deaths.”
“It’s tragic”
A cousin of the mother told MEGA TV’s “Live News” program:
“I can’t believe it. It’s unimaginable. It’s tragic that things like this keep happening again and again. Especially when I hear that this person had allegedly caused another accident or accidents in the past. I can’t even comment on that. I imagine this won’t be the court’s final decision, but I don’t think this man will suffer any serious consequences. I’m sorry, but paying €50,000 — if you divide it, does that mean a human life is worth €25,000?”
She continued:
“I also find it tragic that he is allowed to walk free. I don’t think anyone will welcome him with open arms when they see him. I hope he experiences punishment at least in that way. To me, this sentence feels very wrong. I usually say that I trust the Greek justice system, but sometimes I think things should be looked at more clearly.”
Witness testimonies raise serious questions
Witness accounts revealed through “Live News” have intensified public reaction and raised a pressing question: why was this man allowed to continue driving what some describe as a “weapon” on wheels?
“As I was walking, I heard a car approaching at very high speed,” one witness said. “It sounded like the driver was accelerating aggressively, with loud engine noises. A few seconds later, we saw the car speeding past. Then I noticed that the traffic light in that direction was red, but the car kept going through the intersection without stopping.”
Mack, another eyewitness, described in detail to “Live News” what he called the driver’s deadly course, as well as the final moments of the 57-year-old victim’s vehicle. “It was around 2:35 pm. Yes, of course, the light was red; I saw it and two of my colleagues saw it as well. He was speeding, for sure, I think on the road the limit is 80 km and he was going with 120 -140 km. He was going way too fast and that’s why he couldn’t react to the other car. It was green light for them, it was led for the other side, so they did nothing wrong, . the police came after 10 minutes, and the ambulance after about 15-20 minutes, so there was no chance for them to survive.”
“I was the first person there”
“This guy came down from the overpass flooring the gears,” another eyewitness said. “Imagine a 500-horsepower car roaring through the gears. People came down from the village, from the outskirts, from the mountain to see what had happened, and they were in shock. When he hit the women, I was the first person who went there to check if the girls were alive. Then another car arrived from behind with another man inside, and he got out shouting at him, saying the BMW had overtaken him twice from Lindos all the way here at enormous speed.”
Another witness added:
“The woman started moving on green. She was making her turn where the road splits — it’s not exactly an intersection. He never even touched the brakes. His car is like a tank. When he hit the woman and killed the girl and her mother, his own car just kept going straight. There was no braking, no swerving. It just continued straight ahead until it stopped on its own.”
The families of the two victims are now engaged in what they describe as a difficult fight to gather as much evidence as possible in order to prove the deadly path allegedly taken by the 44-year-old driver — a course that ultimately cost their loved ones their lives.
