Police Launch Criminal Investigation into Tragic Accident near Drienovec

Kosice, 9 September (TASR) - The police have launched a criminal investigation regarding the suspicion that the crime of general endangerment and the crime of bodily harm were committed in connection with the tragic road accident involving a lorry and a bus that took place near the village of Drienovec (Kosice region) on Monday (8 September), Kosice Regional Police spokeswoman Lenka Ivanova told TASR on Tuesday. The accident happened on a straight stretch of the I/16 road. The bus, carrying 32 passengers plus the driver, was heading from Turna nad Bodvou to the village of Drienovec. The lorry was going in the opposite direction. Its driver, for as yet unknown reasons, strayed into the opposite lane. "During the documentation of the accident, the lorry driver told the police that he had had a puncture, which caused him to stray into the opposite lane and crash into the bus. Further investigation and expert evidence will show whether it was a puncture, a technical fault or other circumstances that actually contributed to this traffic accident," said Ivanova. The police seized the 37-year-old lorry driver's licence at the scene. He tested negative for both alcohol and drugs. The bus driver, who succumbed to his injuries in hospital, will be examined for the possible use of alcohol or narcotics during an autopsy. The case has been taken over by a criminal police investigator of the Kosice-okolie District Police Department. The bus and lorry will be subject to expert examinations. "The investigation into this extensive traffic accident continues. Experts from various fields will be invited to join the investigation," added Ivanova. The road accident involving the long-distance bus and the lorry took place near the village of Drienovec in the Kosice-okolie district on Monday morning. The 63-year-old bus driver was killed in the accident, while another 33 people suffered injuries of various degrees. ko/df