07.02.2025 13:20
Camera footage has emerged regarding the accident in Kayseri last year, in which a mother was killed after being hit by a bus and her son was injured. The footage shows the moment the bus struck the mother and son, who were trying to cross the median, and captures the panic experienced by the passengers in the vehicle.
A terrible accident occurred on May 19 last year on Erkilet Boulevard in the Yeşil Mahalle neighborhood of Kocasinan district in Kayseri. A private public bus with license plate 38 AB 105, driven by Mustafa Celal Yelkenoğlu, hit Ebru Abravci (28) and her son Selahattin Abravci (10), who were trying to cross the road. The mother and son were trapped under the bus due to the impact. Ebru Abravci and Selahattin Abravci were rescued from under the vehicle by the teams and taken to Kayseri City Hospital. While Ebru Abravci, one of the injured, lost her life, her son was discharged after treatment. The bus driver Yelkenoğlu, who was taken into custody, was arrested by the court he was brought to. Yelkenoğlu was released 9 days later after an appeal against the decision.
"I WAS GOING AT 20-30 KILOMETERS" A case was opened against Mustafa Celal Yelkenoğlu at the Kayseri 8th High Criminal Court for "causing death and injury by negligence." The defendant Mustafa Celal Yelkenoğlu, Selahattin Abravci, his father Zübeyir Abravci, and the attorneys of the parties were present at the final hearing of the case.
In his defense, Mustafa Celal Yelkenoğlu stated, "On the day of the incident, around 17:45, I was driving the private public bus with license plate 38 AB 105. I was making a trip to Boztepe neighborhood. There was a stop at Kayserispor Facilities. I dropped off a passenger there. I started moving again. My speed was 20-30 kilometers per hour. I saw a woman and a child crossing the road. They were diagonal to me, and traffic was flowing. I pressed the brake and stopped, but I had already hit them. They did not signal me in any way or indicate for me to stop. I was in the right lane. I have no fault in this incident. I did everything I could. I request my acquittal," he said.
"WE WERE DRAGGED UNDER THE BUS" Selahattin Abravci stated in court, "My mother and I got on the bus in Erkilet. We were going to my grandmother's house. We got off the bus at Kosovo Park. We were going to cross the road. We crossed our lane. The road was clear. We were going to cross the other lane as well. At that moment, we saw the bus we were going to board coming towards the bus stop. We were on the road at that time. I raised my hand because we needed to get on that bus. The bus did not stop at the stop. It did not brake, it honked. We thought it would stop. Just as we were about to take 1-2 steps to the sidewalk, the bus hit us at high speed. We were dragged under it. While being dragged under the bus, the brakes were applied, and I was injured due to the incident. I was in intensive care for a long time. I am a complainant and I want to participate in the case," he said.
Deceased Ebru Abravci (left) and her husband (right) 3 YEARS OF PRISON SENTENCE FOR THE BUS DRIVER The court sentenced the defendant Yelkenoğlu, who was not in custody, to 3 years and 4 months in prison for "causing death and injury by negligence."
HIT JUST 1 METER AWAY FROM THE SIDEWALK Meanwhile, the camera footage of the accident has emerged. The footage shows Ebru Abravci and her son Selahattin Abravci trying to cross the road by running across the median to catch the bus, and the private public bus hitting the mother and son just about 1 meter away from the sidewalk. The footage also captured the driver honking, the bus hitting from the right front, the panic moments of the passengers, and their screams.