Did a bus driver disregard the right of way for an articulated lorry? After a serious accident at a traffic light crossing near Hanover, the police are investigating because of negligent homicide.
Langenhagen – After a serious bus accident with one dead and 13 injured passengers, the police are investigating the bus driver on suspicion of negligent homicide.
The accident occurred on Monday evening at an intersection with the traffic lights switched off in Langenhagen near Hanover. A semitrailer truck hit the driver’s side of the articulated bus head-on. According to previous investigations, the bus driver should have given the truck driver the right of way because he was on the main road. A 29-year-old who had stood in the bus was thrown out through a side window, the police said on Tuesday. Although first aiders and rescue workers immediately tried to resuscitate the woman from Garbsen, she succumbed to her injuries at the scene of the accident.
Of the total of 16 passengers on line 480, 13 were injured, including three children. A four-year-old girl had to be taken to the hospital by ambulance, and there were two other seriously injured passengers. The 46-year-old driver of the tractor unit was also taken to a clinic with injuries. The 45-year-old bus driver was slightly injured. Previously, even more injuries had been assumed.
According to the investigations, the traffic lights were switched off at around 6:20 p.m. at the time of the accident. This would have resulted in testimony and the evaluation of technical records. In this case, the traffic signs on the traffic lights apply. The bus driver should have given the truck right of way, the police said. In the event of a conviction for negligent homicide, the 45-year-old faces a fine or a prison sentence of up to five years. “We want to question both drivers as soon as possible,” said a police spokesman on Tuesday. dpa
