Margarita Paskaleva, head teacher of the Saints Cyril and Methodius secondary school in Karnobat, has died in a crash on the Trakia motorway. An Audi Q8 SUV hit the back of her car.
The alert about the crash came at 3:57pm. That afternoon a witness reported a loud collision near the 340km mark in the direction of Burgas. At 5:11pm the Burgas regional police directorate (ODMVR) confirmed that the 63-year-old Honda driver died at the scene.
Earlier on this story: Witness says woman died in serious crash on Trakia motorway near Karnobat
The SUV caught up with the Honda, which has Burgas plates, and hit it. The impact was very hard, and both cars were badly damaged. One stopped in the emergency lane, the other in the acceleration lane.
The SUV driver is a 66-year-old man from Sofia. His tests for alcohol and drugs were negative. The cause of the crash is not yet clear. The SUV is registered to Aleks EOOD, a retail company.
Police have opened a pre-trial investigation. Investigators are examining the scene and taking witness statements. Vehicle experts must establish how fast the cars were going, exactly how they were moving before the impact, and whether other factors played a part.
Paskaleva was a teacher and head teacher with many years of experience. She worked on the school's development and its pupils' achievements, and also took part in education projects outside Karnobat.
News of her death shocked the town, where dozens of teachers, pupils and parents knew her as a teacher and head.
In 2020 Karnobat municipality named her "Head Teacher of the Year" for how she saw off the school's graduating class during the pandemic. In May this year she was among the education workers honoured in Burgas region on the Day of Saints Cyril and Methodius.