Limassol teenager dies in scooter-car collision

A Limassol teenager was killed in a road accident, when his supercharged scooter collided with a turbocharged vehicle under circumstances that have baffled police investigators.

Police said they got a call Thursday evening around 6:20pm from the Ambulance Dispatcher, informing them that 17-year-old Yiorgos Vasiliou was rushed to the Emergency Room at Limassol General Hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead on arrival.

The teenager, who was riding a scooter, was involved in a collision with a modified car driven by a 29-year-old, who had called the ambulance but left the scene of the accident.

The estimated time of the accident was set at 5:45pm, which took place on a deadend street where races reportedly take place in the area.

When police went to investigate the accident, initially they did not find the scooter or the vehicle at the precise location, a side road near Gregori Afxentiou street in the Episkopi area. 

But later they spotted the scooter covered with leaves, about 20 metres away.

According to traffic police senior officer Michalis Michael, the scooter had “serious modifications” and was not registered with Motor Vehicles.

Police also believe that Vasiliou was not wearing a protective helmet at the time of the collision.

The driver later reported to a police station and was arrested, while a Breathalyzer test showed zero alcohol in his blood stream.

Police described his vehicle as a race car with illegal engine modifications, while saying both vehicles appear to have been removed from the scene of the accident and hidden on purpose.