Teo Peter, the founding member of the famous Compact band, was killed Saturday morning at 4.30 in a car accident in downtown Bucharest, according to the police. The taxi that was taking 50-year-old Teo Peter home from a music festival was struck violently by a Ford Expedition car belonging to the U.S. Embassy. The accident took place at the intersection between Dacia Boulevard and Polish Street. The cab was smashed and pushed on to the sidewalk. Although the emergency services soon arrived at the scene, they were unable to save Peter's life. The taxi driver, 28-year-old Marian Chivu, suffered several injuries and was taken to the hospital. His condition is now stable, according to medical source.
The car belonging to the U.S. Embassy was driven by a U.S. marine, Robert Christopher, an employee of the U.S. Embassy, according to several private TV stations.
Eye witnesses said the American driver seemed to be responsible for the crash, as he was driving too fast and did not give way to the cab driver. Police sources said the Embassy's employee had been drinking and was not able to avoid the collision with the taxi. The General Police Department in Bucharest said the 31-year-old American did not pay attention to traffic signs.
According to Bucharest Police, the breathalyzer test showed the American driver had a 0.09 milligrams alcohol level in his blood, where as, under Romanian law, drivers are not allowed to drink at all. When police saw the breathalyzer results, they tried to take the marine to the National Institute of Forensic Medicine to perform a blood test, but he refused, saying the institute does not use the "medical instruments offered by the embassy," according to the police press release.
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