Trakia highway crash leaves Slavia coach’s wife in critical condition

On the Trakia highway, a heavy‑truck collided with a small car after a tyre burst, breaching the median and smashing into the vehicle carrying five people. The crash killed three occupants – two 10‑year‑old boys from the Slavia Sofia football academy en route to a tournament in Albena and a 43‑year‑old man, the father of one of the boys. The truck driver was detained and tested negative for alcohol and drugs.

Coach Ivan Terzijski’s 49‑year‑old wife suffered severe internal injuries, a broken pelvis and a skull swelling, requiring two emergency surgeries; she remains in critical condition in a Yambol hospital. The coach sustained a concussion but is stable. The Bulgarian Football Union and Slavia Sofia announced a month‑long mourning period, and Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev ordered inspections of highway safety barriers. Slavia president Ventsislav Stefanov condemned “the irresponsibility of heavy‑truck traffic” and said, “Two angels went to heaven,” calling for justice.