On Reisecar left the road on April 17, 2019 on the Portuguese island of Madeira and plunged down an embankment. 29 people died, 27 others were injured. The victims are German nationals. The accident had caused international concern.
Shortly after the accident, it was speculated whether a technical problem on the bus had led to the accident. But the indictment against the bus driver now shows that he too could be to blame for the accident. He has to answer for 29 negligent killings.
“In order to prevent the pedestrian from being run over, the accused steered the bus sharply to the left.”
According to the document, the tour group started at the hotel and then drove down the Unglücksstrasse. The bus driver is said to have driven “ruthlessly and without the appropriate attention and required care”, quotes the “Image” from the indictment. Shortly before the accident, he hit the oncoming traffic at 50 km / h and then got into the sidewalk, where he crashed into a bus stop sign with his outside mirror.
When a passerby suddenly appeared, the bus driver abruptly avoided and lost control of the car. “In order to prevent the pedestrian from being run over, the accused steered the bus sharply to the left in order to brake on the wall,” says the indictment. In the next curve, however, the car broke through the guardrail, plunged down the bank, overturned and crashed into a house.
“The state of fatigue has increased reaction times”
The condition of the bus driver may have contributed to the accident. «The accused disregarded working hours. He was already on duty for 13 hours and the state of fatigue has increased reaction times, »concludes the prosecutor.
The bus driver is not in custody, but had to hand in his driver’s license. He had also been injured in the accident.
(VRO)
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