Defendant's 'lorry swerved into me' defense in trial of accident that claimed 4 young lives in Mersin

The hearing of the fatal traffic accident that occurred in the Akdeniz district of Mersin in February, resulting in the deaths of twin siblings and two cousins, was held. Three people lost their lives at the scene, and one sister lost her 18-day battle for life after a jeep, which lost control while trying to overtake, crashed into the group waiting on the median to cross the D-400 highway. It was shared in the court at Mersin 7th Heavy Penal Court, where detained defendant psychologist M.K. is tried, that the expert report determined the defendant was 'primarily at fault' and his speed was 149 km/h. The trial continues for M.K., who faces up to 22.5 years in prison for 'causing the death and injury of multiple people,' with the victim families demanding the heaviest penalty.

After the prosecutor presented their opinion at the first hearing, detained defendant M.K. took the floor to defend himself by recounting the moments of the accident. The defendant claimed he was driving from Tarsus towards Mersin, a truck on the right lane violated his lane, and he panicked when it got in front of him, causing the vehicle to lose control. M.K. denied the accusations, stating he did not intentionally hit the pedestrians, using the expression, "The truck violated my lane, I panicked in fear, my vehicle was thrown to the median. I didn't see the pedestrians; if I had seen them, I would have thrown myself under the truck." However, the expert report emphasized that the defendant's speed was approximately three times the 50 km/h limit in the area and that the accident occurred at this high speed.

Burkan Acar, one of the victims injured in the accident and attending the hearing, and Yunus Bagı, connected via SEGBİS, stated that the event happened suddenly and the crash occurred just a few seconds after seeing only the vehicle's lights. Acar stated they got off a minibus and came to the median to cross, that there were children in front of them, and the vehicle hit them while they were playing on their phones. Acar, who stated he had to stay in bed for two months and his leg was disabled, complained against the defendant, while Yunus Bagı argued that the defendant acted with conscious negligence despite not remembering the moment of impact in detail.

The relatives of the deceased shed tears in front of the courthouse and in the courtroom, expressing their pain and anger. Mahmut Güney, the father who lost his twin daughters in the accident, stating he spoke to his daughters on the phone just 10 minutes before the event and they said "we are on the way," said, "I had 2 children, now I am childless. These children had dreams, they destroyed their dreams," and demanded the heaviest penalty. Mother Hava Öztürk, who lost her daughter Nejla in the same accident, stating she lost her son four months ago and her only remaining daughter also lost her life in this accident, argued that the event was a 'murder' and wanted justice to be served.

After the statements of the parties' lawyers and the emotional outbursts of the victim families, the court panel announced their decisions. The panel decided to re-examine the scene at evening hours and to await the forensic medicine reports regarding the injured, ruling that the defendant's detention continues. While the hearing was adjourned to September, the lawyer for the victim families, Osman Sevdalı, speaking in front of the courthouse, claimed that it was scientifically proven that the defendant was driving at 149 km/h speed and that this was not negligence but a massacre committed with probable intent, saying, "we will not leave this matter unfinished."