01.04.2026 18:44
An indictment has been prepared seeking up to 6 years of imprisonment for the driver who was arrested in connection with the accident in which 6-year-old Ela Tabakoğlu was killed after being run over by her school bus in the Gebze district of Kocaeli. In the expert report included in the indictment, Ela was found to have "primary" fault, while the driver was deemed to have "secondary" fault.
A fatal accident resembling a murder occurred on February 4 at 1:00 PM in front of a private primary school on Köroğlu Street in the Beylikbağı Republic Neighborhood of Gebze district in Kocaeli.
ELA, WHO WAS HIT BY THE BUS, LOST HER LIFE
Ela Tabakoğlu (6), a first-grade student trying to cross the road to get on the service vehicle after school, was hit by another service minibus with the license plate 41 P 3597, driven by I.C. Emergency health and police teams were dispatched to the accident site upon notification. It was determined during the checks that Tabakoğlu had lost her life. Tabakoğlu's funeral was held in her hometown, Basat village in Çaycuma district of Zonguldak. The service driver I.C., who was taken into custody, was arrested by the court.
INVESTIGATION COMPLETED
The investigation conducted by the Gebze Chief Public Prosecutor's Office regarding the accident has been completed, and an indictment has been prepared. According to the accident detection and expert reports included in the indictment, it was stated that on the day of the incident, around 1:00 PM, the driver I.C., while turning right from 2232nd Street to 2230th Street with the service vehicle with the license plate 41 P 3597, hit the little girl who was running from the right side after noticing that the vehicle was moving. The indictment noted that Ela Tabakoğlu, who was at the level of the right front door, was in the driver's 'blind spot' and lost her life after being hit by the side of the right front wheel, getting trapped under the vehicle.
ELA "PRIMARY FAULT", DRIVER "SECONDARY FAULT"
The accident report prepared regarding the incident was also included in the indictment. The report stated that the arrested defendant I.C. violated the right turn rules, while the deceased Ela Tabakoğlu violated the rule of the Highway Traffic Law stating that "pedestrians on the roadway should not behave in a way that would obstruct or endanger traffic at pedestrian crossings or in emergencies." The expert report emphasized that I.C. was "secondarily at fault" in the incident, while the deceased Ela Tabakoğlu was found to be "primarily at fault."
"I REALIZED THE SITUATION WHEN CITIZENS HIT MY VEHICLE"
The driver's statement I.C. was also included in the indictment. In his statement, I.C. claimed that he was driving the service on the day of the incident and did not see the little girl coming from behind after he moved the vehicle. He stated that he realized the situation when citizens around him hit his vehicle while he was turning right on the road and understood that Ela was trapped under the vehicle, expressing regret for what happened.
UP TO 6 YEARS OF IMPRISONMENT REQUESTED FOR THE DRIVER
The indictment also stated that the mother Serpil (35) and father Fatih Tabakoğlu (36) filed a complaint against the suspect. It was noted in the indictment that the suspect acted contrary to the duty of care and attention, causing death by negligence, and requested that he be punished with imprisonment of 2 to 6 years and that his driver's license be revoked.
"NOBODY KNEW ABOUT THE VEHICLE CHANGE"
Father Fatih Tabakoğlu claimed that the service drivers changed the vehicle without informing them on the day of the incident. Explaining that his daughter was taken to the service by her mother every morning, father Tabakoğlu said, "She waits for 5-6 minutes where her mother said, 'Wait just in case.' Then, the child naturally goes outside and starts looking for her service. Nobody, neither the school administration nor us, had any knowledge of the vehicle change. My child is running after the service. The driver does not see her. This is not an accident; this is a murder. My child has fallen victim to murder."
"WE TRUST THE SERVICES AND HAND OVER OUR CHILD"
Emphasizing that the only first-grade student in the service is his own daughter, Tabakoğlu said: "This hostess should have waited at the school gate to pick up our student. We parents trust the services and hand over our children. We cut back on our food and drink; we are not very wealthy people. They did not take care of my trust. Everyone from top to bottom is guilty. I can no longer call this a 'chain of negligence.' My child has fallen victim to an organized murder."
MOTHER'S "SECURITY FAILURE" OUTCRY
Mother Serpil Selin Tabakoğlu pointed to the security failure, saying, "First, the vehicle change is made, and nobody knows. How can a 6-year-old child in the first grade leave the schoolyard alone? There is no security. How can the hostess not find this child?"