A Turkish content creator and former volleyball player, Ceyda Yakova, has tragically passed away in a motorcycle crash near the road in Şile, outside of Istanbul. She was 22.
According to Univision, Ceyda Yakova was alone when she lost control of her motorcycle and crashed into a roadside traffic sign. As a result, she suffered severe injuries and was rushed to a hospital, where she passed away shortly after.
Eyewitnesses said she lost control when her rear wheel slipped during a high-speed turn. It was later revealed that Yakova had parked her motorcycle on the roadside for a short rest before the crash.
The family said they saw footage of the accident. Ceyda’s father, Cem Yakova, said it was a relatively gentle bend rather than a steep one, and the motorcycle was moving around 100 kilometers per hour when the wheel hit gravel, causing it to veer suddenly as his daughter collided with the pole. His wife, Melek Yakova, said she did not consider her daughter guilty.
Yakova was buried in the Ayazağa cemetery, close to the Barbaros Hayrettin Paşa mosque, on August 18.
Her YouTube channel and Instagram account were popular among motorcycle fans. With around 20,000 followers, Ceyda Yakova was one of the best-known people in the Turkish motorcycle community online, and news of her untimely death sparked an outpouring of grief online.
This year, in April, Yakova had another motorcycle accident where she received a broken arm, but she became even more careful about protective gear after that event, according to her father.
It seems this tragedy came at the right moment, as Yakova started a new page in her life. In addition to being a professional athlete, she recently graduated from the Department of Psychology at Istanbul Bilgi University. In response, the university issued an announcement saying it was sad to lose one of its Psychology Department graduates in the Faculty of Social and Human Sciences and sent condolences to her relatives and friends.
Before gaining popularity through motorcycle content creation, Yakova played volleyball for Teşvikiye Spor Kulübü.
The complete accident report has not been released to the public yet, and authorities have not released a statement about the details. Information about Yakova’s speed, road conditions, and the shape of the bend may vary from report to report, and claims that spread online should be considered credible only after official confirmation.
Yakova is survived by her parents, Cem and Melek Yakova.
May she rest in peace.
