08.05.2025 12:11
Five-year-old Metehan Kirazlı, who went out with his grandfather to meet his 12-year-old brother returning from school in Gaziosmanpaşa, lost his life after getting caught under a service minibus while tying his shoelaces. His grandfather said, "The minibus arrived and stopped. In the meantime, I took the child from the minibus and moved him towards the door. Suddenly, I saw that the minibus had left and started moving. The child was caught under the front and rear wheels."
A heartbreaking accident occurred in the Gaziosmanpaşa district of Istanbul. On Tuesday, May 6, around 4:30 PM, Recep Kirazlı, the grandfather, picked up his 5-year-old grandson Metehan Kirazlı from daycare in the Mevlana neighborhood. He told his other grandson, 12-year-old Uras Kirazlı, to wait while he picked up Metehan from the school service. As the vehicle stopped, Metehan ran out onto the road.
THE TRAGIC DEATH OF A 5-YEAR-OLD CHILD The child, who was sitting in front of the service minibus to tie his shoes, was not noticed by the driver. As the vehicle started moving, he was severely injured after being run over. The child was taken to Gaziosmanpaşa Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Education and Research Hospital by the service minibus, but despite all the interventions, he could not be saved. After the accident, the service driver was taken into custody, and an investigation was launched regarding the incident.
THE HORRIFIC ACCIDENT ON CAMERA The moment of the accident was captured by a security camera belonging to a nearby business. The footage shows the service minibus stopped on the street, and at that moment, Metehan Kirazlı is seen stopping in the road to bend down and tie his shoes. The moments when the moving service minibus passed over the child and the driver got out of the vehicle to help were also reflected in the footage.
BURIED IN TEARS The funeral of Metehan Kirazlı, who lost his life, was taken by his relatives after the procedures at the Forensic Medicine Institution. Metehan was laid to rest in tears after the funeral prayer held at Halil İbrahim Mosque in the Mevlana neighborhood.
"EVERYTHING HAPPENED IN AN INSTANT" Grandfather Recep Kirazlı, who described the moment of the accident, said, "I picked him up from daycare. His older brother was coming back from school by service, and he had 5 minutes left. He said, 'Let's hang out at the door.' He was sitting on the marble over there across the street. He was even sliding from there. The service came, and it came to the empty area where the chairs are now. I could see him at eye level. The service came and stopped. In the meantime, I picked the child up from the service; the hostess gave him to me. I said, 'You go inside, my son.' I moved him towards the building's door. I looked, and the service had left, it had moved. Everything happened in an instant. The child was under the front and back wheels," he said.
"15 MINUTES LATER, EVERYTHING STARTED TO TURN UPSIDE DOWN" Grandfather Kirazlı, who said that his grandson was still alive after the accident, stated, "After that, when I started shouting, the driver stopped. I took the child in my arms. He was alive. Neighbors called an ambulance. When the ambulance seemed to be delayed, the driver immediately said, 'Let me take you.' The driver involved in the incident took us to the hospital. That's all there was to it. I delivered the child alive to the hospital, and they intervened there. When I saw the child, I said that he must have some internal damage since he was run over by two wheels. While I was holding him in the car, he seemed to be in a state of fainting or sleep. But I delivered him alive to the hospital. Then they said, 'He is getting a little better, his breathing has stabilized.' But 15 minutes later, everything started to turn upside down. They said, 'We intubated him, we are doing CPR.' In the end, they said, 'He also had a brain hemorrhage. May your head be healthy,'" he expressed.
"THE DRIVER STAYED WITH US FOR 30-40 MINUTES" Describing the process of the driver's detention, Recep Kirazlı said, "Since the incident happened here, there were security and police at the hospital. The police came immediately, took him away. But the service driver stayed with us for about 30-40 minutes. After that, they took him away when the prosecutor arrived," he said.