French Justice charged the driver of the Spanish bus that crashed last Sunday on a mountain road in the Pyrenees, where two Colombian women died, with involuntary manslaughter aggravated by the use of narcotics and other charges. The crimes of which he is accused also include involuntary injuries and endangering the lives of third parties, as detailed by the Marseille Prosecutor’s Office in a statement released during the night from Friday to Saturday.
As for the aggravating factors, on the one hand he is accused of having allegedly consumed cocaine not far from the accident, since the toxicological analysis of the blood samples taken from the driver, 50 years old and of Spanish nationality, tested positive for benzoylecgonine (BZE). ), which is the main metabolite of that type of drug.
Secondly, the French Justice sees the charges aggravated by the “deliberate violation” of his particular obligation as a driver to prioritize the prudence and safety of passengers. The driver has been detained since December 4 and has already appeared before an investigating judge at the Marseille courts.
“Aggravated involuntary manslaughter” in the Pyrenees
Regarding the investigation of the specific causes of the accident, “the first conclusions of the investigation point to the possibility of a mechanical failure in the vehicle, particularly in the braking system of this bus”, which had already suffered “a mechanical incident ” before leaving Andorra on his return trip to Barcelona.
But in addition to that, the bus, which was usually used by the same driver, remained in circulation despite not having passed the mandatory technical inspections and the tachograph intended to control speed and driving times was deactivated. The French authorities also specified that the total number of occupants of the bus was finally 49, the majority of Colombian and Spanish nationality, and that of all the victims, 32 were hospitalized in Spain and 9 in France. On the French side of the border, six were still admitted until this Friday.
The two who died in the event were Luisa Fernanda Escobar Castillo, 24, and Claudia Patricia Palacio Mejía, 45, both Colombians. The vehicle had left the Catalan town of L’Hospitalet de Llobregat bound for Andorra to take advantage of the ‘Black Friday’ discounts.
According to the first testimonies, the bus had problems on a downward slope section of a narrow mountain road, at more than 1,600 meters above sea level, so the driver decided to crash it against the rocky ledge next to which the road runs. The investigation falls to the Marseille Prosecutor’s Office because it has interregional powers in matters of traffic accidents and after the Perpignan Prosecutor’s Office decided so, which is the French town closest to the accident.
#driver #bus #crashed #week #south #France #arrested
