If Siyana could see everything, she would thank everyone who supports us, she would probably draw a picture. Her mother is in a very serious condition. She literally can't say her name. This was shared in the studio of "Offensive with Lyubo Ognyanov" on NOVA NEWS by Nikolay Popov, the father of a 12-year-old girl named Siyana, who died in a road accident with a truck on the Radomirtsi - Telish road on March 31.
"The section where my daughter died is in worse condition, with each passing day. This is not a road, but a stream of folded asphalt - absolute rubbish. Whatever control is applied, if we do not have normal roads and do not change our self-awareness as participants in traffic and as citizens - nothing will change,", Popov believes.
The tragedy raised national discontent against the poor quality of the road network. Immediate measures were demanded against the lack of adequate infrastructure, among the demands were harsh sanctions against road violators.
"Siyana dreamed of being a nuclear physicist and studying the universe. Then she switched to art, decided that she would become an artist and she was very good at art. Everyone tells me that my pain will not go away, and also that the justice system is slow. And that I have to fight my own country for justice. Is this normal? I feel guilty that we did not take action against the irregularities on the road earlier", the father said.
On April 3, the RIA installed road signs and signs on the fatal section. The speed limit in the section between Radomirtsi and Telish has been reduced to 60 km/h. Road signs and signs have also been installed, warning drivers that they are passing through a section with a concentration of road accidents. 12 signs and 8 signs have been installed at a distance of 400 m.
"Siyana's grandfather is starting to recover after the accident, it is a medical miracle, but he will remain disabled. He still does not know what happened to his beloved granddaughter. He was a long-time employee of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Defense, he could not protect his grandson from the negligence in the state. I don't know with what force, but his daughter will tell him the tragic news," Popov said.
Parallel protests gathered thousands of citizens on April 12 in over 10 Bulgarian cities. There was also a demonstration in Telish, where, according to the father, about 10,000 people gathered. People are demanding road safety and decisive measures against the war on the roads. The protests are organized in memory of Siyana and other children who died on the road. Their motto is “Bulgaria has no children to kill!“.
The father of the 12-year-old girl asked how many sections the RIA has secured. “The director of the road agency said that he has 4 children and regrets what happened to mine. He promised to work, he seemed sincere. Checks must be carried out and the guilty must be objectively identified. I want those responsible, identified by the investigation, to bear responsibility. Those who "hide signals in drawers", when will we show them? When will they be held criminally liable? No one is talking about safe driving training grounds. Different road situations are studied on special simulators and drivers are trained on how to react," Popov is categorical.
The serious road accident on the Radomirtsi-Telish road in Pleven, in which a 12-year-old girl died, caused violent reactions in the country. After the accident that killed little Siyana, the institutions were activated.
Nikolai Popov revealed that he would forgive the truck driver detained for causing the death of his daughter, but he will also ask him if he himself will forgive himself. "The regional road department in Pleven is to blame for the condition of the Radomirtsi-Telish section. So far, Ivanichkov has been removed (note: the director of the Directorate for “Maintenance of Road Infrastructure“ Daniel Ivanichkov), but how many more “Ivanichkovtsi” there are is not clear”, he noted.
The court decided to leave the driver of the truck that swept away their car under permanent arrest. The Minister of Regional Development and Public Works Ivan Ivanov ordered an inspection of the “Road Infrastructure” Agency and the removal of the entire management of the Specialized Unit “Regional Road Administration - Pleven“ until the results are clarified.
The grandmother of the deceased Siyana, in an emotional speech at the protest in front of the Courthouse in Pleven, called on citizens to join the mass protest on April 12. And her father repeatedly spoke of his daughter's virtues, sharing that even on the fateful day she had an important order - to send a gift of her bracelets to a sick child who does not go to school, but studies from home. She had been worried for several days.