Killed in an armored vehicle crash, child found ‘primary negligent’ in police report

* Photo: Anadolu Agency (AA)

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Prepared by the traffic police officers after the incident, the report has found that Mihraç Miroğlu was "primary negligent."

Run over by an armored police vehicle while riding a bicycle in İdil district in Turkey's Kurdish-majority southeastern province of Şırnak on September 3, 2021, 7-year-old Mihraç Miroğlu lost his life.

As reported by Mezopotamya Agency (MA), the incident scene investigation report has found that the child's bike fell into three pieces as a result of the crash and while one of his slippers was found at the scene of the incident, the other one was thrown to a barn-like building nearby.

The radio-log of the armored vehicle that was involved in the crash has also been added to the file. According to these records, the team no. 7855 said the following to the center at 6.28 pm: "According to citizens' statement, our vehicle hit a child, our team did not notice it."

Bike broken into three pieces

Issued by the gendarmerie, the Incident Scene Investigation Report has briefly shared the following information about the incident:

"Upon arrival at the scene of the incident, where the curious crowd consisting of several citizens were moved away and which was cordoned off by the police, it was seen that the red bike on the ground was in three pieces, it was considered that the bike had been broken as a result of the crash; one of the slippers of the child named Mihraç Miroğlu was on the ground while the other one was on a barn-like building on the roadside."

In the investigation report prepared by the traffic police, it has been concluded that "while the driver of the official vehicle M.K. is found negligent of 'not slowing down while approaching crossroads', the non-motorized cyclist Mihraç Miroğlu is found primary negligent for 'not abiding by the right of way at crossroads' and for not abiding by the provision that 'the drivers approaching crossroads are obliged to slow down in such a way to suit the conditions at the crossroads, to be careful and to ensure that the vehicles that have the right of way exercise this right'."

Witness 'heard a crash'

Speaking as a witness at the police station, Ş.Ş. also said:

"While we were sitting in the garden, a loud break squake or crash was heard from the street. The moment I heard the sound, I went out. When I went out, I saw an armored police vehicle on the street. When I approached it, I saw our neighbor Mihraç Miroğlu lying on the right front seat.

"When I saw him like that, I got afraid and stepped back. Then, while our neighbor was going to the hospital and woke up in the vehicle, I got to the back so that he would not be scared. The police officers were panicking in the vehicle. The driver said, 'How didn't I see the child? I don't even know what came in my way.' We went to the hospital quickly. He did not stop even at the red light while we were on our way to hospital.

"When we made it to the hospital, the police officer who was driving the vehicle did not even wait for the stretcher to come and carried the child inside in his arms. After going inside, I waited at the door. I did not see how the accident happened. This was all I saw and lived."

What happened?

An armored vehicle hit Mihraç Miroğlu (7) in Turgut Özal Neighborhood in Şırnak's İdil on September 3, 2021. According to the witness statements, the vehicle hit the child while he was riding a bicycle.

As reported by Mezopotamya Agency (MA), the investigation launched by the İdil Chief Public Prosecutor's Office into the incident has been launched on the grounds of "deadly road accident." The police officer was reportedly not detained even though the child has lost his life.

The statement of the suspect police officer was taken three days after the incident today (September 6). Brought to the courthouse in company with police, the police officer has been released after giving his statement. The police officer reportedly said in his statement at the prosecutor's office, "I didn't do it intentionally. I didn't want it to end like this." (AÖ/SD)