5 arrested in Küçükçekmece metrobus tragedy: Suspects' prosecution testimonies obtained

The investigation by the Küçükçekmece Chief Public Prosecutor's Office into the accident, where a metrobus heading toward Beylikdüzü collided with another coming from the opposite direction in the Sefaköy area, is ongoing.

The 8 suspects brought to the Küçükçekmece Courthouse gave their statements to the prosecutor.

The public prosecutor referred 5 suspects, including metrobus driver D.M.Ç. and inspection supervisor Ş.Y., to the criminal judgeship of peace with a request for their arrest on charges of "causing injury and death by negligence."

The other 3 suspects were released after their statements were taken by the prosecutor.

PROSECUTION TESTIMONIES OF SUSPECTS DETAINED REGARDING THE METROBUS ACCIDENT REVEALED

The prosecution testimonies of metrobus driver D.M.Ç. and inspection supervisor Ş.Y., who were detained in connection with the metrobus accident in Küçükçekmece that left 1 person dead and 51 injured, 2 of them seriously, have been obtained.

The investigation by the Küçükçekmece Chief Public Prosecutor's Office into the accident, where a metrobus heading toward Beylikdüzü collided with another coming from the opposite direction in the Sefaköy area, is ongoing.

Metrobus driver D.M.Ç., whose statement was taken by the prosecutor as part of the investigation, explained that they work on the Söğütlüçeşme-Beylikdüzü line with 2 round trips per day, and that on the day of the incident, he took the metrobus with door number M3070 from the Söğütlüçeşme platform at 07:50 AM to perform the Söğütlüçeşme-Beylikdüzü service and set off with his first passengers from the 15 July Martyrs Bridge.

Stating that he saw the Doblo vehicle inside the closed road used for field work on the metrobus line after passing the ramp in front of the Küçükçekmece Courthouse while heading toward the Sefaköy stop after picking up passengers from the Yenibosna stop, D.M.Ç. noted the following:

"At that moment, another metrobus was coming from the lane. I decided to pass between them to avoid hitting either. As I entered between them, the accident occurred when the front right side of the metrobus I was driving hit the rear right side of the other metrobus.

I was using my weekly day off on August 28. The last time I used the bypass road was on Tuesday after passing the Sefaköy stop. I did not know beforehand that the bypass road had been opened at the accident scene across from the Küçükçekmece Courthouse on the day of the incident. No information was provided regarding this. Furthermore, there were no warning signs when I climbed the ramp before the scene of the incident."

"I HAVE NO KNOWLEDGE OF WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MARKINGS ON THE ROAD"

Explaining that he was proceeding at a normal speed in fifth gear and estimated his speed to be 67 kilometers per hour, D.M.Ç. continued his defense as follows:

"When I saw the Doblo vehicle at the last moment, I slammed on the brakes. The ABS system did not work, and the accident occurred because the vehicle skidded and did not stop. On the day of the incident, I did not see any warning about the bypass road being opened at the Küçükçekmece Courthouse in the 'Kaptanlar Köşkü' group on Telegram where information is shared, or on the screen of the metrobus I was driving. If I had seen it, I would have been careful. Normally, information about vehicles, routes, and road conditions is provided by the metrobus fleet management in the Telegram group, and warning messages appear on the screens of the vehicles we use.

However, no such message was received on the day of the incident. I was driving at a speed appropriate for the road standard. There were no warning signs at or before the scene of the incident indicating that a bypass had been opened and that I should reduce my speed accordingly. I did everything I could to prevent a larger accident, but the accident occurred. I am sorry for the accident. I have no fault in the incident. I have no knowledge of who is responsible for the markings on the road."

TESTIMONY OF THE INSPECTION SUPERVISOR

Inspection supervisor Ş.Y., who is the driver of the vehicle on the metrobus road, stated in his prosecution testimony that he has been working as a driver at IETT for 11 years and has not been driving a metrobus for the last 5 years.

Explaining that he has been working as a field supervisor for the last 2 months, Ş.Y. stated that on the day of the incident, around 08:00 AM, he stopped the Fiat Doblo brand car with license plate 34 DFL 305 in the area closed to traffic at the fixed point across from the Küçükçekmece Courthouse.

Ş.Y. said his duty was to ensure that another metrobus arrived at the scene and that passengers were transferred to that vehicle so that they would not suffer any grievances in case of metrobus breakdowns or accidents due to the metrobus road work.

Stating that he used his weekly leave on August 28, Ş.Y. continued as follows:

"On Tuesday, the bypass road in the metrobus area was located somewhere between the Beşyol and Cennet stops. I saw the bypass road opened to the area across from the Küçükçekmece Courthouse when I started work yesterday morning. The entrances and exits of the bypass road in the metrobus work area change daily or every two days. As repairs are made on the road, the bypass road is shifted forward.

Warning messages about this are sent to the 'Kaptanlar' group on Telegram where vehicle drivers are present, and to the screen of the metrobus they are operating. However, I do not know who sends these messages. As far as I know, they are sent by the IMM Metrobus Operations Directorate. As far as I know, the markings and cones in the metrobus work area are placed by the contractor company personnel."

In the continuation of his defense, inspection supervisor Ş.Y. said that 20 meters in front of the vehicle under his control on the day of the incident, there was a rectangular sign with two illuminated warning lights and the word "Stop" on it, and that this sign was placed by the contractor company officials.

Stating that the sign was smaller on the day of the incident compared to previous days, Ş.Y. said, "I escaped the accident at the last moment. While I was in the vehicle with Zafer Ömür, I saw the metrobus coming from the Yenibosna direction braking and smoke coming from its tires.

However, thinking that the vehicle would not be able to stop and would hit us, I quickly moved away from the vehicle with Zafer. The metrobus did not hit the vehicle we were in. The accident occurred when it grazed the metrobus coming from the opposite direction while maneuvering to avoid hitting us."

WHAT HAPPENED

In the accident where two metrobuses collided in Küçükçekmece yesterday morning, 22-year-old Ferhat Uçar lost his life, and 51 people were injured, 2 of them seriously.

Following the accident, 2 of the 4 people detained were released upon the prosecutor's instruction after their statements were taken. The other 2 people were referred to the courthouse.

Within the scope of the investigation, detention warrants were issued for the metrobus command supervisor, regional chief, project manager, site manager, and the manager and assistant manager working in the road maintenance and repair directorate, who were on duty during the road maintenance work.

Upon this, the security forces took action and detained 6 more suspects.

Of the 8 suspects whose statements were taken by the prosecutor at the Küçükçekmece Courthouse, metrobus driver Düzgün Murat Çetin, IMM Regional Manager Murat Er, IMM Assistant Regional Manager Ahmet Yıldırım, and Company Site Manager Muhammet Sertaç Kazıcı were referred to the criminal judgeship of peace with a request for their arrest on charges of "causing injury and death by negligence."

News Source: AA