Here Is the 21-Year-Old Driver Who Crashed into a Sofia Bus, Leaving At Least One Dead (UPDATED)

A severe traffic collision in Sofia early this morning has resulted in one fatality and six injuries after a car slammed into a public transport bus. The crash took place at approximately 01:46 a.m. at the intersection of Vazkresenie and Konstantin Velichkov boulevards. The bus was halted at a red light, preparing to turn toward the Krasna Polyana neighborhood, when the speeding vehicle struck it, causing significant damage, killing a man, and injuring others.

The driver of the car, identified as 21-year-old Viktor Iliev., born in 2004, had received his driving license only two weeks earlier, on August 1, as reported by Novini.bg. In that short period, he had already accumulated six traffic tickets, mainly for minor violations such as missing equipment in the vehicle. Iliev does not own the Audi he was driving at the time of the crash. Traffic camera footage shows that he did not brake before the collision, and the car jumped the curb at the tram stop, narrowly missing two other vehicles before crashing into the bus windows.

In addition, hours before the fatal accident, Viktor Iliev was fined by the State Department of Internal Affairs, 24 Chasa reported. The traffic police sanctioned him because he did not carry a first-aid kit and a fire extinguisher.

Viktor was tested for alcohol and drugs, his samples were negative. The traffic police wrote him a fine of 50 leva (25 euros) for the lack of the mandatory first-aid kit and fire extinguisher.

Viktor Iliev has been detained. He has six more fines accumulated in the two weeks since he has had a license. His record also shows two thefts when he was 16.

The only passenger on the bus, a Syrian citizen, died instantly in the crash. The bus driver, a 66-year-old man, and several other passengers in the Audi were injured. Six people in total required medical attention, three of whom are in life-threatening condition. At the Military Medical Academy, two victims were admitted to intensive care, while a third was placed in the Neurosurgery Clinic. Another seriously injured passenger, a young woman, was admitted to the intensive care unit at Pirogov Emergency Hospital, while a male patient was sent to the Traumatology Clinic. One of the injured did not require hospitalization and was treated and released.

The Audi had been borrowed by 21-year-old Viktor Iliev from a friend for a drive, Dir.bg reports. Iliev, a resident of Sofia’s “Fakulteta” district, was detained and remains under guard in the hospital where he was admitted after the crash.

Inside the Audi, along with Iliev, were two women and one man. The man, the only passenger with only minor injuries, is being questioned by investigators, who are trying to determine why Iliev made no attempt to brake before the impact.

According to “24 Chasa,” the 15-year-old Audi had been leased in June and was lent to Iliev by its owner. Police report that Iliev obtained his driver’s license only on August 1 this year and, within the following 14 days, had already received six tickets for minor infractions, such as missing vehicle equipment.

Authorities have identified excessive speed as the main factor behind the accident. Alcohol and drug tests for the young driver were negative. Due to his condition after the collision, the bus driver will have blood samples taken later for testing. Emergency responders acted quickly, but the severity of the impact and the young driver’s inexperience contributed to the tragic outcome.