Kallithea crash: police find no abandonment, injured 27-year-old was the motorbike driver

What happened

According to the latest police update, a motorbike overturned on Amfitheas Avenue in Kallithea, Athens, shortly after 03:00 on Saturday, 24 October, under the Syngrou Avenue bridge. One outlet gave the time as 2:55. The 27-year-old woman driving the bike and her 37-year-old male passenger were both thrown into the opposite lane of traffic. There the woman was struck by a passing car driven by a 35-year-old woman. The driver of the bike was severely injured and taken by ambulance to Thriasio hospital. The 37-year-old passenger went to the 251 Naval Hospital by private means, where he is being treated, and his life is not in danger. The 35-year-old car driver was lightly injured.

How the reports changed

Early reports described a rider who had abandoned a severely injured 35-year-old woman passenger and driven off. Some outlets said a 37-year-old man had been brought in and was being examined as a suspect over the alleged abandonment. Police later said there had been no abandonment at all. The man they had been seeking was also injured, which was the reason he could not be found at the scene. Those earlier descriptions of who was driving and who was the passenger were also wrong, according to the update.

Ongoing inquiry

The Kallithea traffic police are carrying out the preliminary investigation into how the crash happened. The driver of the car, who is of Georgian origin according to the reports, was being questioned by the authorities. The investigation into the circumstances of the crash is still under way, and the latest police findings are the only account of the crash that has been officially given so far.