Requested sentences in Zeren Ertaş case announced: Elevator maintenance company deemed primarily at fault

In the indictment prepared regarding the elevator accident at a dormitory in Aydın that resulted in the death of university student Zeren Ertaş, prison sentences ranging from 3 to 22.5 years were requested for 4 detained defendants, and from 2 to 15 years for one defendant who is being tried without detention.

The investigation into the incident on October 25, 2023, at the Güzelhisar Girls' Dormitory, where 22-year-old Adnan Menderes University Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences student Zeren Ertaş lost her life after an elevator fell, has been completed.

The indictment prepared by the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has been accepted by the Aydın 1st High Criminal Court.

Excerpts from the expert report, as well as photographs and video recordings taken at the scene, were included in the indictment.

The indictment stated that after 16 female students boarded the elevator, which had a 16-person capacity, the elevator began to fall from the ground floor toward the basement, and Zeren Ertaş lost her life after becoming trapped between the elevator cabin and the wall while attempting to exit.

The indictment, which also includes Ertaş's detailed autopsy report, noted that the young woman's death was due to causes related to being crushed, and that 2 other students were slightly injured in the incident.

ELEVATOR MAINTENANCE COMPANY DEEMED PRIMARILY AT FAULT

The indictment pointed out that the accident occurred because the detained defendant Mustafa B., an official from the elevator maintenance company, had previously disabled the "UCM" system, which is the elevator's braking system. It stated, "The UCM system is a safety device that prevents the cabin from moving uncontrollably while the doors are open; since this system did not engage at the time of the accident, the defendant's negligence is severe, and he is considered primarily at fault."

Although the expert report indicated that mechanical engineers Uğur İ. and Ramazan A. were partially at fault, the indictment noted that they were responsible for the elevator's design, mechanical calculations, and inspections. It recorded that the defendants did not correctly perform the half-load balance calculations for the elevator, which caused one of the brakes to fail and the other to wear out prematurely, preventing it from performing its function.

The indictment stated that the detained defendant Halil T., the owner of the company that performed the installation, was involved in the installation of the elevator, which was loaded with an incorrect half-load balance, and that it was impossible for him not to have noticed these deficiencies given his professional experience.

Pointing out that the high difference in electrical amperage during the elevator's ascent and descent could indicate brake malfunctions and errors regarding the counterweight balance, the indictment stated that the actions of the electrical engineer and defendant without detention, N.M., amounted to negligence.

Prison sentences ranging from 3 to 22.5 years were requested for defendants Mustafa B., Uğur İ., Ramazan A., and Halil T. for the crime of "causing death and injury by conscious negligence," while a sentence of 2 to 15 years was requested for N.M. for the crime of "causing death and injury by negligence."

WHAT HAPPENED?

On October 25, 2023, 22-year-old Adnan Menderes University Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences student Zeren Ertaş lost her life after an elevator fell at the Güzelhisar Girls' Dormitory.

During the investigation, an official from the elevator maintenance company, the owner of the company that installed the elevator, and 2 engineers were arrested.

News Source: AA