A fresh investigation will be launched to find the real culprits responsible for the November 2011 traffic accident that resulted in the deaths of 15 people in Hail. The Appeal Court in Hail will be examining the case.
The new probe is based on the findings of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (Nazaha), which reported that the gross negligence and failure of some government departments to discharge their duties left some potholes on a major road, which was the primary cause of the accident.
The accident, in which 13 women students and two drivers were killed, was dismissed as an error of the driver of the bus.
The Nazaha reopened the case after discovering that the real cause of the accident was two contiguous pits on the road and when the simultaneous attempts of two drivers to avoid the pits resulted in the head on collision of their vehicles. This dangerous situation on the road was created because of alleged criminal negligence and violations of the various government departments, including the Hail municipality, Roads and Transport Administration, Hail University and the Hail Traffic, according to the Nazaha.
Nazaha, started fresh investigations after receiving a royal permission and submitted its findings to the Control and Investigation Bureau, which in turn passed the case to the Appeal Court in Hail for further action.
“I will demand a compensation of SR 1 million for each of the victims,” attorney for the driver and students Abdul Aziz Al-Haushani said.
He added that he had appealed to higher authorities to treat the case just like the cases related to the Jeddah floods, the cause of which was attributed to the corruption of municipal officials, contractors and other government officials.
Al-Haushani argued that the initial report on the accident put the blame on the driver of the bus for not avoiding the pits and driving the passengers to safety.
“This conclusion is illogical and contrary to the ground realities,” he said.
Fresh probe ordered into accident that killed 15
