A lorry did not cause one of the pile-ups on the Trakia motorway near Yambol, but it was an obstacle on the road, Marian Marinov, acting director of the National Investigation Service, told a briefing.
The crashes happened on the morning of Tuesday, November 10, in thick fog near the Zimnitsa junction. Cars hit each other in both carriageways, and 86 vehicles were involved. The National Investigation Service took over the case, and investigators examined the scene until late at night.
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The death toll is 11, the Ministry of Health press office said at 5pm. In the first hours, reports spoke of 12 victims, but the number changed after the dead were identified and the injured were checked. Ten people died at the scene, and one died at St Panteleimon hospital in Yambol.
Of the 51 people in hospital, 33 are in Sliven, 11 in Yambol and 7 in Burgas. Thirteen are seriously hurt.
Investigators are checking two versions of what happened with the lorry. In the first, it stopped because of a car in front of it. In the second, it slowed down because of fog so thick that nothing could be seen, and the driver behind did not adjust. Investigators have yet to decide how much blame the driver of the bus that hit the lorry carries.
"Fog is not an obstacle on the road, but a condition. One of the duties of a driver is to take it into account and choose his speed," Marinov said. He said responsibility should be sought from everyone who drove into the fog hoping there was no crash ahead, and hit a car they did not see.
There are two pre-trial proceedings in the case. More than 100 people will be questioned, and more than 50 forensic medical examinations are expected. Investigators also have a sketch of where the cars stood, and they know who was travelling on the motorway at the time of the crash.
Marinov called the crash very complex, with no ready-made method for investigating it. A combined expert report will establish how the collisions happened, how the injuries were caused and what each driver did. Marinov said it will also show whether each driver contributed to the injury or death of their own passengers or other people's.
The vehicle technical expert report has not yet been ordered. There will be one report, but several experts will work on it, chosen from the regional courts and the Sofia City Court.
Visibility was reduced, Marinov admitted. "But investigators cannot describe a fog that has already lifted," he added.