Egnatia Highway Crash: 38-Year-Old Driver’s Excuses on Good Friday – Investigation Continues

Questions remain unanswered regarding the exact conditions that led to the deadly incident involving a 38-year-old Ukrainian truck driver in Kozani, Greece, on Great Tuesday (April 15, 2025). Police continue gathering testimonies from eyewitnesses and reviewing footage from Egnatia Odos highway cameras to determine if fog played a decisive role in the truck’s collision with a car carrying a 72-year-old man and his 69-year-old wife or whether the driver was live-streaming on social media while driving. In characteristic video evidence, the driver appears to be holding a cigarette, looking at a screen, and not paying attention to the road ahead. During his statement, the 38-year-old claimed the fog was so dense that he only noticed the cars at the toll booths when it was too late. To avoid one vehicle, he turned the wheel sharply left, causing the fatal collision with the couple who had arrived from Switzerland for Easter in their village. The victims’ remains have been transferred to Naoussa for autopsy and identification due to severe carbonization. DNA testing is expected in the coming days with biological samples provided by the couple’s children. The driver faces criminal charges for dangerous driving leading to a fatal accident, manslaughter through negligence, and causing bodily harm. He has been granted until Good Friday to provide further explanations and will remain in custody until then. Beyond the couple’s death, a 26-year-old toll booth employee and a 34-year-old driver were hospitalized but are now recovering at home. The transportation company employing the truck driver expressed condolences via ANT1, stating, ‘Authorities and experts will determine exactly what happened. We truly regret this tragedy and extend our condolences to the victims’ families. Whatever we say will never be enough.’