Crete man arrested after fatally striking his elderly mother with farm truck in Gortyna
A 55-year-old driver was arrested on Saturday in Heraklion, Crete, after accidentally hitting his mother while reversing an agricultural vehicle in the municipality of Gortyna.
Fatal collision in Gortyna
On the morning of Saturday, 12 September 2026, a fatal domestic vehicle collision occurred in the agricultural territory of the Messara plain in southern Crete. The incident took place in a rural settlement within the municipal unit of Asimi, an administrative subdivision that forms part of the municipality of Gortyna in the Heraklion regional unit. A 55-year-old resident started his agricultural pickup truck and began executing a reversing maneuver from private property. The driver intended to move the farm vehicle backward in order to exit onto the adjoining local roadway. He did not detect anyone standing or walking in the immediate area behind the vehicle as he began moving in reverse. His elderly mother was positioned directly in the reversing path of the truck, leading to an immediate and fatal collision.
Circumstances of the reversing maneuver
The collision took place within seconds of the driver shifting the agricultural truck into reverse gear to pull out onto the road. According to police sources cited by local news platforms Creta24 and Cretalive, the elderly woman was walking behind the rear of the vehicle without her son realizing her presence. The sudden impact caused severe panic among individuals present at the scene. Source reports presented a slight discrepancy regarding the exact age of the victim. Three separate publications stated that the deceased woman was 87 years old, whereas a fourth report recorded her age as 84. The truck struck her with force before the driver was able to halt the vehicle.
- A 55-year-old driver reverses an agricultural truck and fatally strikes his mother in Asimi
- EKAB ambulance and Hellenic Police personnel deploy to the scene
- Physicians at Charakas Health Centre evaluate the victim and confirm her death
- Hellenic Police arrest the driver under statutory procedures for fatal collisions
Emergency dispatch and medical assessment
Immediately following the collision in the village of Asimi, bystanders and family members placed an urgent emergency call to regional first responders. Both the National Emergency Aid Centre (EKAB) and the Hellenic Police (EL.AS.) mobilized personnel and vehicles to respond to the incident location. An EKAB ambulance crew arrived on the scene, provided emergency first aid, and loaded the critically injured woman for urgent transport. The ambulance transported her directly to the Charakas Health Centre, the primary local medical facility serving the southern Heraklion municipal districts. Upon arrival, examining physicians conducted an immediate clinical evaluation and formally pronounced the elderly woman dead from the severe trauma sustained during the vehicle strike.
Police detention and legal procedures
Following the confirmation of the victim's death at the health facility, law enforcement officers carried out the necessary legal measures. Officers from the Hellenic Police arrested the 55-year-old driver under standard statutory protocols for fatal vehicle strikes. Investigators conducted preliminary inquiries at the scene in the municipal unit of Asimi to examine the trajectory of the pickup truck and the physical layout of the access road. The son was placed under official police custody in Heraklion while authorities prepared the case file for submission to the judicial authorities.
