Nikolay Popov, the father of a 12-year-old girl killed in a road accident, has highlighted a haunting act of maternal despair in Varna. Albena Dimitrova, whose 25-year-old son Alexandar Marinov died in a May 2025 collision, engraved her own name onto his headstone to protest judicial leniency.
A Fatal Intersection on Boulevard Tsar Osvoboditel
The tragedy unfolded on May 30, 2025, along Boulevard Tsar Osvoboditel in Varna. A female motorist attempted a U-turn and crossed the path of the oncoming motorcyclist. Alexandar Marinov suffered severe trauma upon impact and later died in the hospital.
The collision galvanized the local community. Friends, relatives, and fellow motorcyclists staged protests in Varna demanding fair punishment and stricter measures against dangerous driving.
Contested Speeds and a Suspended Sentence
The Varna District Court found the driver guilty of causing death by negligence in April. The imposed sentence was four years of imprisonment, which was reduced to two years and eight months, suspended with a five-year probationary period, due to the expedited procedure. She was also deprived of the right to drive a motor vehicle for five years. In September, the Varna Court of Appeal confirmed the suspended sentence.
According to the auto-technical expert report, both the driver’s inattention and the high speed of the motorcyclist contributed to the accident, with experts stating he was moving at over 120 kilometers per hour. The family of Alex disputes the findings of the expert report and has repeatedly insisted on a new investigation into the circumstances of the crash. In an interview with NOVA in July, the mother Albena Dimitrova stated that her son tried to brake but could not avoid the vehicle.
Public Outcry and the Erosion of Institutional Trust
The case returned to prominence when Nikolay Popov published a reaction to Dimitrova engraving her own name onto her son’s monument. Popov, whose 12-year-old daughter Siyana died in a March traffic accident, captured the sentiment of institutional disillusionment in his online post. He noted that no court decision can return the life of the deceased. He stressed that when relatives of the deceased do not find comfort even in the justice system, society has a huge problem.
Popov warned that society risks losing its humanity if it accepts such tragedies as something normal. The debate underscores Bulgaria’s struggle with high road fatality rates in the European Union. A nationwide poll conducted by the “Myara” sociological agency for BNT reveals that 43% of respondents point to the dangerous behavior of drivers as the most serious problem, while 35% believe the main reason is the poor state of the roads.
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