02.10.2025 14:52
In the investigation regarding the death of 4-year-old Berra Dizi after an epileptic seizure during a swimming event at her kindergarten, the expert report and security camera footage have been added to the case file.
On August 12, around 1:30 PM, at a private kindergarten in the Süleymaniye neighborhood, it was reported that Berra Dizi, who was in the pool for a swimming activity, suffered an epileptic seizure. Berra, who was seen floating motionless on the water by intern student M. P., was pulled out of the pool by swimming instructor N. T.
7 DAYS OF FIGHTING FOR LIFE
Berra, who received first aid from workplace nurse B. A., was taken to İnegöl State Hospital by health teams who arrived after the alert. Due to respiratory distress, Berra was transferred to Bursa High Specialization Training and Research Hospital, where she passed away in the intensive care unit after 7 days of treatment. Following the autopsy conducted by the Bursa Forensic Medicine Institution, an investigation was initiated by the İnegöl Chief Public Prosecutor's Office regarding the death of Berra Dizi, who was buried in İsaören City Cemetery in İnegöl.
A 12-PAGE EXPERT REPORT WAS PREPARED
During the investigation, statements were taken from the teachers at the kindergarten and the family. In the prepared 12-page expert report, it was noted that mother Beyza Turan, when enrolling her child in the kindergarten's summer school, answered 'No' to the question 'Does the child have a chronic illness?' and 'Yes' to the question 'Does the child have any medication they take regularly?', while responding 'She had 2 febrile seizures' to the question 'Has she had any childhood illnesses?'
The report also included the statement of the Child Neurology Specialist who treated Berra for seizures, indicating that Berra was started on medication due to having febrile seizures one month apart in 2023, and that her neurological follow-up and medication were discontinued as she had not had any seizures for 2 years.
HAD A SEIZURE IN CLASS 8 MONTHS AGO
In the forensic examination report, which stated that Berra was taken to İnegöl State Hospital after the incident, it was noted that she had a seizure and was treated for it, and that she was transferred to Bursa due to ongoing epileptic seizures. The report also recorded that the little girl had a seizure in class at the kindergarten 8 months prior to the incident.
POOL THAT SHOULD BE 50 CM DEEP IS 74 CM DEEP
The report emphasized that there was no element of intent in the incident, while stating that the kindergarten management only relied on parental notifications regarding Berra's health status and did not investigate her medication. Considering that Berra Dizi had a seizure in class 8 months ago, the report pointed out that the pool where the incident occurred should have been evaluated as a 'children's swimming pool', as the regulations state that 'the depth of a children's swimming pool cannot exceed 50 centimeters', but the pool measured 74 centimeters deep and did not employ a 'certified lifeguard' as required by law. The kindergarten operator E. B. O. was found to be primarily at fault for the incident.
SWIMMING INSTRUCTOR FOUND 'SECONDARILY AT FAULT'
The report stated that swimming instructor N. T., who was not present near the children in the pool during the swimming activity and did not ensure that the children wore floaties, was found to be 'secondarily at fault', while class teacher N. Ş. was noted as not being at fault.
PARENTS FOUND 'PRIMARILY AT FAULT'
The parents, father İsmail Dizi and mother Beyza Turan, were found to be 'primarily at fault' for not considering whether their 4-year-old child's health status was suitable for the activities at the kindergarten and for not clearly sharing the fact that their child had experienced seizures irregularly since birth, thus failing to show the necessary care to protect their child's health and safety.
PANIC CAPTURED ON CAMERA
Security camera footage of the incident was also included in the investigation file. The footage showed that while the children were in the pool, the swimming instructor was on the side and no teacher was present in the pool. It was seen that Berra Dizi was not visible as she was swimming in an area behind the hanging towels, and the swimming instructor ran to the area where the little girl was after being alerted by the intern student and pulled her out of the water. During the panic, it was captured on video that one teacher slipped and fell, and the nurse who was called ran to the poolside. Meanwhile, it was also seen that the other children were not taken out of the pool and continued swimming.
"THE SCHOOL HAS NOT BEEN INSPECTED SINCE IT WAS ESTABLISHED"
While the investigation continues, İsmail Dizi, who was found 'primarily at fault' in the expert report, spoke to DHA reporters. Criticizing the report and claiming that the expert committee made erroneous evaluations, Dizi stated, "They said there was no swimming instructor, no certification, no work permit, and no insurance for the person there, and that they were 'secondarily at fault'. Additionally, there was no swimming activity in the program submitted to the District National Education as part of the summer activity. This school has not been inspected since it was established."
"2 MECHANICAL ENGINEERS HAVE GIVEN DIRECT MEDICAL OPINIONS THERE"
Ismail Dizi stated that the expert committee consisted of 2 mechanical engineers and a teacher, saying, "The experts there are made up of 2 mechanical engineers and 1 teacher."
Two mechanical engineers there have directly provided a medical opinion. And we have reported those individuals. The occupational health and safety experts there have directly acted as pediatric neurology doctors without having received any training related to this. They should have checked whether there was a lifeguard, whether there was a swimming instructor, whether the swimming instructor had a certificate, whether the pool edges were made of slippery material, and whether there were equipment such as life rings and armbands at the edge of the pool. Instead of looking after the two teachers who let the children into the pool without armbands and were sitting under the umbrella, they went and acted as doctors," he said.
"THEY TRIED TO FIND THE FAMILY AT FAULT"
Dizi, stating that the Bursa Forensic Medicine Institution could not definitively determine the cause of Berra's death, also rejected the teacher's statement that their daughter had had a seizure 8 months ago, saying:
"How can two mechanical engineers and one teacher provide a medical opinion and write that our child died due to epilepsy when even the Forensic Medicine Institution cannot understand why our child passed away? Additionally, the class teacher stated in her testimony that our child had a similar seizure 8 months ago, with a false statement. We have added the documents proving that our child was hospitalized due to a bowel infection in a private hospital in Bursa 8 months ago to the prosecutor's file. The expert committee, without looking at any of the files there, took the statement given by the class teacher who made that false statement about our child and tried to find the family at fault because of that."
"WE ARE FIGHTING FOR JUSTICE"
Berra's mother, Beyza Turan, also stated that they have reported the expert committee, saying, "When we embarked on this journey for our daughter, we were in search of justice. We are still fighting for justice. I may have lost my daughter in a painful way. I have suffered, but I do not want another mother to suffer. We have already prepared our complaint against the experts. On what basis was a medical opinion written regarding our child's health?"