A second Timur Cihantimur case: He struck 3 people and was released, the victim is fighting for her life!

In Maltepe, Onur Torgay, who was driving at high speed with a blood alcohol level of 186 promille, struck three people who were getting out of a taxi. Despite being found 100 percent at fault in the accident report, he was released with a house arrest order. Nihan Özkan, whom he struck, is fighting for her life.

An article by Timur Soykan from BirGün titled "He struck three people, he was released" brings to mind the writer Eylem Tok and her son Timur Cihantimur.

Nihan Özkan, who lives in Istanbul and is an executive at a pharmaceutical company, was celebrating her birthday on September 21; she had turned 40. She had met with friends at a venue in Kadıköy, blown out her candles, and made a wish. There was a Fenerbahçe-Galatasaray derby match, and Kadıköy was very crowded. For this reason, she had left her car at the parking lot at the Küçükyalı Metro Station and had come to Kadıköy by metro. After the celebration, she got into a taxi from Kadıköy with her friends Özge Baygın and Deniz Özel. When they reached the Küçükyalı Metro Station where she had parked her car, the time was 02:42. Deniz Özel was going to continue on by taxi, but she also got out of the vehicle to say goodbye to Nihan Özkan and Özge Baygın. 

They were standing next to the taxi. At that moment, a black car speeding on the E-5 highway entered the side road where the metro station is located without slowing down. It struck the taxi and the three people next to the taxi. While the taxi was dragged 25 meters by the force of the impact, the three people were thrown toward the sidewalk.

THEY WERE SERIOUSLY INJURED

Nihan Özkan, who had been celebrating her birthday just a few hours earlier, was seriously injured. Her right leg was nearly severed, her skull was fractured, and she suffered severe brain damage. She was unconscious. Özge Baygın was also seriously injured. She had multiple fractures in her legs and skull. She was suffering from a brain hemorrhage. Deniz Özel also had a broken leg. During the accident, there were two police officers at a nearby gas station. They immediately called an ambulance for the injured and apprehended the driver of the black car.

The driver of the black car, born in 1990, Onur Uğurman Torgay, was taken into custody. He was found to have a blood alcohol level of 186 promille. Nihan Özkan and Özge Baygın had been intubated at the hospital. While they were fighting for their lives, Onur Uğurman Torgay said the following in his statement:

“On September 21, 2024, around 19:30, I went to Kadıköy to watch the match, I entered a venue, watched the match, and continued to sit there. I drank alcohol there. On September 22, 2024, around 01:45, I left the venue and set off in the vehicle registered to my father; I was going home. I entered the side road from the Küçükyalı Metro exit. I was a bit fast when I entered the road. I saw the commercial taxi parked there, but I could not stop. I struck the commercial taxi and the individuals behind the taxi. The police came and performed an alcohol test on me. I was found to have 186 promille of alcohol. The accident happened all of a sudden, I am sorry.”

Onur Uğurman Torgay was taken to the Istanbul Anadolu Courthouse by police on the same day. Although the police report stated that he was intoxicated and speeding, the prosecutor did not request his arrest and instead requested judicial control for the crime of 'causing the injury of more than one person by negligence.' The Istanbul Anadolu 2nd Criminal Court of Peace also did not arrest Onur Uğurman Torgay, releasing him with a travel ban and a house arrest order. Yet, it was determined in the accident report that Onur Uğurman Torgay was 100 percent at fault.

Nihan Özkan is still fighting for her life in the hospital. She has undergone three brain surgeries and has been kept in intensive care for 24 days. She has also been operated on multiple times to save her leg, which was largely severed. The risk of her leg being amputated continues. She also has multiple fractures in her other leg and skull. Özge Baygın was also operated on due to a brain hemorrhage. She has been discharged from intensive care. She has undergone multiple surgeries on her leg.

‘ARREST HIM’ PETITION

Hürrem Sönmez, the lawyer for Nihan Özkan's family, objected to the release of the intoxicated and speeding driver under judicial control and demanded his arrest. Explaining that the driver Onur Uğuran Torgay should be tried for 'causing the injury of more than one person with possible intent' and that the Court of Cassation has rulings in this direction, the lawyer stated in her petition, “Nihan Özkan's life is still in danger. Furthermore, there are testimonies that the driver wanted to flee the scene but was caught by the police who were there. There is a suspicion of flight, a possibility of tampering with evidence, and pressuring witnesses.” Nihan Özkan's family reacts to the judicial control decision with these words: “While Nihan, Özge, Deniz, and we are experiencing this pain, the intoxicated, speeding driver who hit them is enjoying himself at home. Is this justice…”