17.07.2026 15:31
A verdict has been reached in the trial regarding the tragic accident in Eskişehir, where 35-year-old Gökçe Kurtulmuş, while walking on the sidewalk, was run over by a car coming from the opposite direction and lost her life. The driver, Emine Arslan, who defended herself by saying, "My brakes failed, my steering wheel locked," and was found fully at fault in the expert report, was sentenced to 5 years and 4 months in prison for the crime of "causing death by conscious negligence." The defendant was released pending appeal.
In the accident where 35-year-old young engineer Gökçe Kurtulmuş lost his life, the court's decision infuriated the family.
ENTERED THE WRONG WAY AND CRUSHED THE PEDESTRIAN ON THE SIDEWALK In the incident that occurred on May 15, 2026, on Şirinyer Street in İstiklal Neighborhood of Odunpazarı district, the car with license plate 26 EJ 341, driven by Emine Arslan (48), entered the street going the wrong way. The out-of-control vehicle first crushed the roadside embankments and a traffic sign, then hit and ran over pedestrian Gökçe Kurtulmuş (35) waiting on the sidewalk. In the accident, Gökçe Kurtulmuş, a graduate of Ege University Textile Engineering, died at the scene. The trial for the accident was heard today.
EXPERT HAD SAID THE DRIVER WAS PRIMARILY AT FAULT At today's hearing, the detained defendant Emine Arslan, Gökçe Kurtulmuş's mother Türkan Uzcan, and the lawyers of both parties attended. In the trial held at the Eskişehir 15th Criminal Court of First Instance, the accident report and forensic expert reports were submitted to the court. The expert report stated that the brakes and braking system of the vehicle were functioning normally at the time of the accident, and no negative conditions were detected in the steering or any mechanical parts. The report emphasized that the defendant Emine Arslan was primarily and fully at fault in the accident.
"MY CAR'S BRAKES FAILED, I TURNED TOWARDS THE WALL TO AVOID HITTING PEOPLE" In her first defense in court, the detained defendant Emine Arslan defended herself, saying, "My car's brakes failed, my steering wheel locked, I wanted to turn the vehicle towards a wall or pole to avoid hitting people." When asked for her final defense in the verdict hearing, the defendant said, "I request my release; the incident occurred due to a vehicle malfunction." In another statement during the trial, she said, "I am very sorry about the incident. I am also punishing myself internally."
Emine Arslan THE ACT WAS COMMITTED WITH CONSCIOUS NEGLIGENCE The Eskişehir 15th Criminal Court of First Instance announced its decision regarding the defendant in the case. The court initially sentenced the defendant to 4 years in prison for the crime of "causing death by negligence." Then, concluding that the act was committed with conscious negligence, it increased the sentence by 1/3, sentencing her to 5 years and 4 months in prison. Considering that the defendant's remorse was not observed and the specifics of the crime, no good conduct reduction was applied. Additionally, the court ordered that the driver's license be suspended for 1 year and 6 months, and considering the time the defendant had spent in detention, it decided on her release.
THIS DECISION IS UNACCEPTABLE After the verdict in Gökçe Kurtulmuş's case was announced, mother Türkan Uzcan made the following statement:
“It was a very terrible death. She died losing her bodily integrity. But today the decision was made, unfortunately. It was a very, very bad decision in my opinion. My daughter was killed so badly on a pedestrian sidewalk, for nothing, and then the driver being released is unacceptable. She has five consecutive faults: she enters the wrong way, then crosses, then enters the wrong street, and here, five people could have died but she hit my daughter, others managed to escape. Is it that simple to release her? Has our Turkey fallen to such a low state? No punishment, no deterrent punishment. Then the accidents I hear about are very normal. Why don't we have deterrent punishments? Three people die, we always hear about it, and people are shattered. Why should healthy people be shattered due to a driver's mistake? Or they become disabled. What happened? Her license will be given back after a year. And a year later, this death machine... Look, five people run away, they are in the open, but my daughter couldn't escape because she was next to a wall. And it destroys lives, the car destroys, everything. They put her in a coffin; they couldn't even take her by ambulance. For such a death, they release her and give a light sentence, conscious negligence. I cannot accept this. How can we trust our laws? A mechanical engineer, her life is over. A young girl behind, waiting at the lights, a car from the street comes and hits her. If there is no protection even on the sidewalk... I'm not talking about the street, on the sidewalk, if our penalties, traffic penalties have dropped to this level, then we should all be afraid. How can we live our lives healthily? There is danger every moment. I want to say this. It was very hard. The punishment was very light. Actually, it was attempted murder in our opinion, but we want to pursue this; we won't stop here. It was very hard, because a life was lost. A young life was lost. My daughter was 35 years old, but it was the time she would realize her dreams; she worked hard. No, it shouldn't be like this. Instead of being shattered, she should have lived her life. The same goes for all those who died and were shattered in accidents. Why, when there is a chance to live beautifully, are people torn apart?”
Gökçe Kurtulmuş THEY WILL OBJECT TO THE DECISION The court decided to impose judicial control measures on the released Emine Arslan, including a ban on leaving the country and an order not to leave her residence. Gökçe Kurtulmuş's mother Türkan Uzcan stated that she would object to the decision through her lawyers.