Trial against Killer of 6 Bulgarian Teens Fails to Kick Off

The car with which the drunk driver caused the tragedy. Photo by dariknews

Bulgaria's Haskovo district court has postponed the trial against the drunk driver who caused the death of six young people in the town of Simeonovgrad on the eve of Easter.

On Wednesday, the court decided to grant the status of private accusers to the parents of the perished teenagers, as well as to one of the two youngsters who were injured in the crash.

However, the court refused to grant private accuser status of the other wounded teenager, who suffered minor injuries in the accident. The ruling is subject to an appeal, which caused the postponement of the trial.

The trial against Daniel Georgiev, the man who caused the tragic car accident while under the influence of alcohol, and his cousin Zhivko Zhelev who allowed him to drive his car, will continue in January 2012.

The two men face a sentence of 5 to 15 years behind bars.

On April 23, Daniel Georgiev, 23, crashed Zhelev's car into a group of young people, killing 6 teenagers and wounding 2. The tragedy shocked Bulgaria on Easter. The victims themselves were walking out of a home to go to church for the midnight Easter service.

Relatives of the killed teenagers recently launched a petition demanding drivers under the influence of alcohol or drugs to be tried for first-degree murder if they cause fatal accidents in the country. The petition has already entered the Bulgarian parliament's legislative commission.

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