The head of the bus company that arranged the trip for Flixbus blames the four deceased passengers in the fatal accident along the motorway near Leipzig for their own deaths.
“It’s bad, but I have to say it: if those people had worn their seat belts, everyone would still be alive,” says director of bus company Umbrella Mobility Pavel Steiner (54) in the German newspaper Bild. After five days it is still unclear how the accident, which left four dead and 35 injured, could have happened.
“It’s an incredible tragedy, I’m devastated. We had an experienced man at the wheel, the bus was the most modern available and had been inspected in January, and yet four people died,” says Steiner, who is busy cleaning up his own street and is critical of the deceased.
‘Bus fleet is an absolute disaster’
His company Umbrella Mobility is not without controversy. In October last year, a company bus driver was pulled over with a blood alcohol content of 2.4 per mille. A former employee called the company’s fleet in the Hamburger Morgenpost ‘an absolute disaster.’ “Some buses operate without a route number, others only have a cardboard sign on the front instead of a display and some even operate without lights at night,” he said.
No active memories
The 62-year-old driver who was involved in the accident last Wednesday says he remembers nothing about the incident. “He was unconscious and remembers nothing about the accident,” says Steiner, explaining that the man was rested and had just had five days off before the accident.
From the technical data, Steiner concludes that the driver did not fall asleep, writes Bild. “The bus had all the auxiliary systems, nothing indicates that.” The man is also said not to have made any phone calls during the ride.
Manslaughter
The Flixbus was en route from Berlin to Zurich, with a planned stopover in Leipzig. However, at around 9.45 am, for an unknown reason, the bus left the carriageway of the A9 motorway between Wiedemar and Schkeuditzer Kreuz, shortly before an exit. The bus struck trees along the side of the road and ended up on its side.
The police and the public prosecutor’s office in Germany have launched an investigation into possible manslaughter and bodily harm due to negligence. The driver faces a prison sentence of five years.
