A bike ride took a deadly turn for a 38-year-old Russian social media influencer in Turkey after she crashed into a truck while riding her red BMW motorcycle. According to Turkish media outlet Turkiye Today, Tatyana Ozolina, who goes by "MotoTanya" on social media, was travelling between Mugla and Bodrum when the fatal crash occurred. She lost control of her red BMW S1000RR 2015 and collided with a truck near Milas. Despite the immediate arrival of emergency services, Ms Ozolina was pronounced dead at the scene.
A Turkish biker accompanying her, Onur Obut, survived but suffered serious injuries and is in hospital. A third biker present at the scene was uninjured, the outlet reported. The authorities are still investigating the circumstances surrounding the fatal accident that occurred.
Ms Ozolina, widely recognized as MotoTanya, was a popular Moto vlogger with over 1 million followers on Instagram and 2 million on YouTube. The influencer dubbed "Russia's most beautiful biker" is known for her global motorcycle adventures. In her last Instagram post, Ms Ozolina shared that she wasn't allowed to enter Europe.
"4000 km from home. Greece missed me but didn't miss my motorcycle. I was in Greece on foot. I bought a magnet and returned it to Turkey. I was upset that I didn't manage to ride around Europe, but not much because I knew that the situation could be like this... therefore, I moved on. Conquer beautiful, hot and hospitable Turkey," she wrote.
According to The Sun, Ms Ozolina's bike was struck by another rider group, causing her to brake abruptly. She was unable to avoid a collision and ploughed into a truck, losing control and suffering fatal injuries. She died before the ambulance arrived. Her family including her son, 13, is "in a state of shock," the outlet reported.
In a tribute, Andrei Ivanov, head of the MotoMoscow Association, said, "MotoTanya is not with us anymore...she had a bright and beautiful life.... Millions of people followed her. Perhaps there is not a single motorcyclist in the country who was indifferent to Tatyana. She was adored, envied, admired, copied, awarded as a top blogger and, at the same time, discussed and slandered. Now all that remains is her memory. Sleep well."
