06.02.2025 16:33
The words of 11-year-old Elif's mother, who died after being hit by a truck while trying to cross the pedestrian crossing hand in hand with her friend in Mersin, broke hearts. The grieving mother said, "At first, it was just an accident for me. When I watched the videos, I saw how fast the vehicle was coming and realized that this was more than an accident; it was a massacre."
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A terrible accident occurred last May in the Gökçebelen neighborhood of the Yenişehir district in Mersin. The pickup truck with license plate 33 ACY 335, driven by excavator operator Coşkun Topkara, hit 5th-grade students Elif Su Ekinci (11) and E.Y. (11), who were trying to cross the street hand in hand at a pedestrian crossing. In the accident, Ekinci lost her life, while E.Y., who was seriously injured, is still receiving treatment in the hospital.
FOOTAGE OF THE HORROR EMERGED
Topkara, who was taken into custody after the accident, was arrested by the duty magistrate he was brought before. As part of the investigation conducted by the Mersin Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, an indictment was filed against the detained defendant Topkara at the Mersin 1st High Criminal Court for the crime of "causing death and injury by negligence." Additionally, security camera footage of the moment of the accident was included in the case file. The footage shows the moments when the truck, coming at high speed, hit the students who were trying to cross the street hand in hand.
"I SAW IT WAS A MASSACRE WHEN I WATCHED THE VIDEOS"
Fatma Ekinci, the mother of Elif Su Ekinci, stated that she had just seen the footage of the accident, saying, "At first, it was just an accident for me. The decision is up to God. However, when I saw the videos a few days ago and also watched the school footage, I realized how fast the vehicle was coming, and that this was more of a massacre than an accident. No more Elifs should die. All children are ours. Turkey is ours. Our future is ours. But in those images, I saw that there was no braking at all, and with just a slight turn, the vehicle could have hit the bus next to it without being able to harm the children. I wanted to speak to raise awareness because Elif Yüksel is still in intensive care and her condition is critical." she said.
"THE FOOTAGE TOOK ME BACK TO THE FIRST DAY"
Fatma Ekinci said that her daughter wanted to be Turkey's first female president. Fatma Ekinci stated, "At the same time, she wanted to protect women and children as a prosecutor. My daughter and Elif Yüksel are no longer here because of that young man who did not slow down at all just before crossing the pedestrian crossing. If I hadn't seen the footage, I wouldn't have been this angry and sad. Because I was slowly entering the healing process. These images took me back to the first day." she said.
"WAS IT SO HARD TO STEP ON THE BRAKE?"
The grieving mother said, "When I spoke with Zeynep, Elif Yüksel's mother, I could still hear the voice of a mother from that first day. Did they have the right to do this to two mothers? Was it so hard to step on the brake? Or was it so hard to create a speed bump? After my daughter, we requested an overpass to be built there. Only a traffic light was installed. My daughter was already crossing at the pedestrian crossing. On the morning of the incident, my daughter kissed me. Then she turned and said, 'Can you kiss me one more time?' and I kissed her once more. My daughter went to school and never came back. No more Elifs should die; for this, no one should be given a driver's license without proper consideration." she expressed.
"SHOULD BE TRIED FOR POSSIBLE INTENT"
The family's lawyer Hibe Gökalp stated, "It is evident from the camera footage that the defendant drove his vehicle with the thought of whatever happens and hit the children, dragging them before stopping. The airbags of the vehicle deployed due to the defendant's excessive speed. The defendant was found to be 100% at fault in the expert report. The defendant should be tried for possible intent. In this massacre-like incident, the defendant should be held accountable and tried not for negligence but for possible intent." she said.
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