First hearing held in the accident that caused the death of 4 cousins in Mersin

The trial regarding the traffic accident that occurred on February 2 in the Akdeniz district of Mersin and resulted in the death of 4 cousins has begun at the Mersin Courthouse 7th Heavy Penal Court. The jeep driven by psychologist Melis Kuş lost control while trying to overtake the vehicle in front on the D-400 highway in Bekirde Neighborhood and crashed into pedestrians waiting to cross the median. In the accident, Nejla Öztürk (16), Zehra Serdil Atak (18) and Kübra Güney from the same family lost their lives at the scene, while the injured Büşra Güney (15) lost her 18-day battle for life, raising the death toll to 4. In the indictment prepared against detained defendant Melis Kuş for 'causing the death of more than one person along with the injury of one or more persons', up to 22.5 years in prison was demanded, and the driver was found completely at fault in the fault report.

The fault report prepared clearly revealed that the cause of the accident was the driver's excessive speed and recklessness. Accordingly, Melis Kuş entered the junctions at approximately 149 km/h, instead of using her vehicle in accordance with road conditions and speed limits on the highway where the speed limit is 50 km per hour. The report emphasized that the driver caused deaths and injuries by hitting the pavement corner, a light pole and pedestrians waiting on the median with this speed, while the pedestrians were stated to be 'blameless'. The driver's excessive speed and lack of attention were reported as the direct cause of the tragic end.

At the first hearing of the trial, defendant Melis Kuş defended herself by narrating the incident from a different perspective. Claiming that a truck in the right lane at the intersection entrance touched the right front of her vehicle while she was driving from Tarsus to Mersin, Kuş stated that she panicked due to this impact and the vehicle was thrown onto the median. Kuş, who stated that she did not remember hitting the pedestrians when she opened her eyes and saw the vehicle overturned on the median, claimed that her speed was around 70-80 km/h. In her most striking statement, she said, "If I had seen the pedestrians, I would have thrown myself under the truck", trying to express that the incident was not intentional and the trauma experienced.

The victims and relatives of those who lost their lives voiced their pain and anger with emotional words during the hearing. Burkan Acar, who was injured in the accident and whose leg was disabled, stated that the incident happened suddenly and that he complained about the defendant, saying he stayed in bed for 2 months. Hatice Güney Atak, the mother of Zehra Serdil Atak who lost her life in the accident, said that when she went to the scene, her children were on the ground and that they were very gentlemanly and successful. Mahmut Güney, the father who lost his twin daughters, said that the children said 'we are on the way' 10 minutes ago, their dreams were destroyed, he was now childless and demanded the heaviest punishment. Additionally, Hava Öztürk, who lost her daughter Nejla, stated that she lost her son 4 months before the accident and lost her only remaining daughter in this accident, leaving her alone, saying that this was a murder.

The court panel made an important decision to elucidate all details of the event as a result of the heard statements and presented reports. Taking into account the requests of the parties' lawyers, it was decided to conduct an on-site crime scene investigation in the evening. Additionally, the hearing was adjourned awaiting the completion and arrival of forensic medicine reports regarding the condition of the injured victims. It was ruled that the detained defendant Melis Kuş should remain in custody, and the next hearing was planned to be held in September. During this period, the justice demand of the victim families and the legal status of the defendant will continue to remain on the public agenda.