Bulgarian truck driver sentenced to prison over fatal Yassıköy toll booth crash
A Bulgarian truck driver has been sentenced to six years and eleven months in prison, without suspension, by the Three-Member Court of Appeal of Thrace for his role in a deadly traffic accident at the Yassıköy (Iasmos) toll booths on the Egnatia Motorway.
The court found the defendant guilty of multiple counts of involuntary manslaughter and causing bodily harm through negligence, while also recognizing mitigating circumstances.
The crash occurred on August 18, 2025, on the Gümülcine -İskeçe (Komotini–Xanthi) section of the motorway, when the truck collided at high speed with passenger vehicles stopped on the right side of the road, triggering a fire.
Three people were killed and four others were injured.
The driver initially faced the possibility of a life sentence, but the court accepted the prosecutor’s recommendation and cleared him of the charge of dangerous driving, ruling that the incident resulted from negligence rather than intentional reckless behavior.
The defense argued that responsibility did not lie solely with the driver, claiming another vehicle suddenly blocked his path, limiting his ability to react.
The defendant was returned to prison pending the hearing of the case on appeal.
