The 44-year-old driver involved in the fatal collision on Rhodes that left two women dead appeared before a prosecutor on Monday.
He now faces felony charges of dangerous driving and multiple counts of negligent homicide.
The driver has maintained from the very beginning that he was traveling in the correct lane and did not run a red light before the crash. He requested and was granted additional time before giving his formal testimony.
The Crash
According to the investigation so far, the vehicle carrying the mother and daughter attempted to turn onto a side road while the traffic light was green. At the same moment, the 44 year old man, who had his wife and son in the car came rushing in the opposite lane at a great speed.
The 44-year-old driver reportedly accelerated before even reaching the women’s car, crashing violently into it and overturning the vehicle. The mother and daughter’s car was reduced to a mangled mass of metal, trapping both women inside.
Firefighters pulled the mother and daughter from the wreckage unconscious. Both were taken to hospital, where doctors confirmed their deaths.
“This man is telling us that he did not run a red light and that someone cut him off and made a U-turn from the opposite lane. That’s what he’s telling us. We’re hearing different things now, I don’t know. I can’t say anything right now. Two souls were lost. It was just a tragic moment,” the suspect’s sister told MEGA.
He told me, ‘I wasn’t speeding. The light was green when I crossed. I don’t know what happened.’ That’s what he told me. Now I’m waiting to see what the police investigation shows,” she added.
“He Loves Speed”
“He has two children. He owns two businesses. He’s a professional driver. It’s not as if he was inexperienced. He just loves speed. He enjoys it because he takes part in racing events,” his sister said.
“He’s a very experienced driver. Nobody intended for this to happen. I’m not the person responsible for judging how he was driving or what exactly happened. Nor would we ever want those girls to die the way they did. They were also very well known here in Rhodes. I knew them too. But beyond that, whatever I say would be unfair.”
“He owns a very powerful, racing-style car. This was not intentional,” she added.
Previous Accident Two Years Ago
According to revelations by MEGA, the 44-year-old driver had also been involved in another traffic accident two years ago, in which his passenger was injured.
“We were just out for a drive and he lost control of the car. I was inside the vehicle too. We were simply driving around and unfortunately he hit the gas and lost control,” the man said.
