05.11.2026 10:02
In a motorcycle accident that occurred in İzmir in 2024, 20-year-old Ramazan Özdemir survived with minor injuries while the passenger behind him lost his life; 5 months later, he died in an accident he was involved in as a passenger on another motorcycle. After the incident, which recalled the film Final Destination, the car driver who caused the first accident was sentenced to 8 years and 6 months in prison.
Two separate traffic accidents that occurred in İzmir's Bornova district drew attention due to their striking similarity. In the first accident, Ramazan Özdemir, who escaped death as a motorcycle driver, lost his life about 5 months later, this time as a passenger on another motorcycle. The events brought to mind the Final Destination film series, which is about people who survive death and later lose their lives.
IN THE FIRST ACCIDENT, THE PASSENGER BEHIND HIM LOST HIS LIFE
The first accident occurred on May 8, 2024, in İzmir's Bornova district. The motorcycle driven by Ramazan Özdemir (20) was involved in an accident as a result of a car driver violating a traffic rule.
In the accident, Ömer Çetinkaya (41), who was on the back of the motorcycle as a passenger, lost his life at the scene, while Özdemir survived the accident with minor injuries.
In the case filed against the car driver V.A. (28), who caused the accident, the court sentenced the defendant to 8 years and 6 months in prison without applying a reduction.
5 MONTHS LATER, THIS TIME HE LOST HIS LIFE AS A PASSENGER
About 5 months after the first accident, Ramazan Özdemir was involved in a motorcycle accident once again. However, this time he was not the person driving the motorcycle but the person sitting behind him as a passenger.
Özdemir, who was riding as a passenger on the motorcycle under the control of E.G. (21), lost his life in the accident that occurred.
The fact that the passenger behind him died in the first accident, and that he himself lost his life as a passenger in the second accident, revealed the striking similarity between the two events.
“OUR LIFE, LIKE A FAIRY TALE, WAS TURNED UPSIDE DOWN IN AN INSTANT”
Semra Çetinkaya, the wife of Ömer Çetinkaya, who lost his life in the first accident, said that the pain they experienced has not subsided despite the time that has passed.
Semra Çetinkaya said, “On May 8, 2024, my husband had this painful accident. We had a very beautiful marriage; we had been married for 3 years. We had a beautiful 2-year-old daughter. We had also just held our son in our arms; he was 3 months old. Our life, which had been like a fairy tale, was turned upside down in an instant.”
Stating that she is fighting for life together with her two children, Çetinkaya said, “For 2.5 years, under that wreckage, we have been waging an economic struggle, trying to live our pain, and I am trying to raise my children in a good way. We have not gotten over it, and I do not think we will. Just a week ago, I explained to my daughter, with a pedagogue present, that her father had died. The sentence ‘How are you?’ still has no meaning for us. Life will continue this way with my children.”
“HE TOO HAS A MOTHER AND FATHER; THEIR HEARTS BURNED AS WELL”
Explaining that after the first accident she wondered about Ramazan Özdemir's condition, Semra Çetinkaya stated that she saw the young man later continued to ride a motorcycle.
Çetinkaya said, “When they had the first accident, they said his condition was serious, and I was very upset. But after a while, I came across his social media profile. I saw that he was not that seriously injured, that he was still riding a motorcycle and speeding. It had cost my husband his life, and he could ride a motorcycle again; this upset me deeply.”
Saying that she was also saddened by Özdemir's death, Çetinkaya said, “A few months later, he too had an accident while riding behind his friend, just like my husband, and lost his life. I would not have wanted it to be like this. He too has a mother and father; their hearts burned as well. I wish none of this had ever happened.”
LAWYER: IT WAS ALMOST LIKE THE FINAL DESTINATION MOVIE
Fatih Kurdoğlu, the lawyer for the Çetinkaya family, said that the way the second accident occurred was reminiscent of the famous horror film Final Destination.
Kurdoğlu said, “The occurrence of the second accident was almost like the famous Final Destination movie. In a similar accident, the other person died. We were also saddened by his pain, and we offer our condolences to his family. Since he died, the criminal case was dropped with regard to this person, who was tried as a defendant throughout the file. The court panel was also very surprised by this situation.”
8 YEARS 6 MONTHS IN PRISON FOR THE CAR DRIVER
Stating that the trial regarding the first accident lasted about 2.5 years, Kurdoğlu also evaluated the sentence given to the car driver.
Kurdoğlu said, “As a result of the 2.5-year trial, the driver of the other vehicle that caused the accident was sentenced to 8 years and 6 months in prison for causing death by conscious negligence. The sentence given satisfied us legally.”
Stating that he rarely encountered such an event in his professional life, Kurdoğlu said, “The person who caused the death of the passenger he was carrying behind him dies in another accident 5-6 months later. After the second accident, his family came and made a statement to my client's family like ‘We have paid our debt to you.’ This surprised and saddened us. After all, a death is involved. As I said, the event unfolded almost like the Final Destination movie.”