Life of 57-year-old car crash victim mired in tragedy

The family of the 57-year-old car crash victim from the village of Yiolou in Paphos who succumbed to his injuries in hospital over the weekend, announced on Tuesday the wish to donate his organs.

Meanwhile, it has emerged that the Christmas Day crash which caused his death is not the family’s first brush with tragedy by means of a fatal road accident.

The unfortunate 57-year-old, named as Kyriakos Economides, who also lost his wife to cancer several months ago, twenty-five years ago suffered the loss of his first wife in an accident involving a run-away lorry.

In that incident, which happened in 1999 on Mesogi Avenue in Paphos, six people died when a lorry veered out of control following a mechanical fault and collided with car after car before coming to a standstill.

One of the cars was being driven by then 32-year-old Economides with his pregnant wife as passenger. His wife was killed instantly and Economides himself was seriously injured.

Following the latest fatal incident Economides and his late wife are survived by two teenaged children.

Police spokesman Michalis Nikolaou said the organ donation requested by his family is expected to be arranged by doctors at the Nicosia general hospital.

“[Organ donation] is an act of love and giving to our fellow man and it is up to the generosity of donors and the consent of their families if they wish to give life to patients in need of a transplant,” Nikolaou said.

He added that organ transplantation can save the life of one or more patients or significantly improve their health and quality of life.

The police chief added an autopsy is expected to be performed on the 57-year-old’s body, at a date to be set at a later stage.