Driver: I am not guilty, the tram was faulty and video surveillance will prove it; KS Prosecutor's Office: Experts say there was no mistake!

(Patria) - Adnan Kasapović, the tram driver whose vehicle derailed on Thursday, stated at a hearing before the Cantonal Court of Sarajevo this evening that he is not guilty.

- I understand the motion for custody. I am aware of the situation, which did not happen due to my fault but due to a technical factor, Kasapović said at the beginning, when asked by Judge Srđan Skoko if he understood the motion for custody, Faktor reports from the hearing regarding the custody of the tram driver whose vehicle derailed on Thursday.

We remind you that in the tram accident that occurred on Thursday, 23-year-old Erdoan Morankić died, and four other people were injured, one of whom, a 17-year-old girl, is in very serious condition.

“The cause of the accident was a technical malfunction of the vehicle. The suspect, as the tram driver, tried to brake but failed. On the same day at the Ilidža terminal, the same problem occurred (stuck acceleration), but there was no major accident (he was stopped by the tram in front of him),” said the tram driver's defense attorney, recalling that the same incident, fortunately without serious consequences, happened slightly earlier in Ilidža.

On the other hand, KS Prosecutor Edin Šarčević said that according to the expert testimonies conducted so far in the investigation, they are closer to concluding that it was a human factor.

The prosecutor said that, according to one of the experts, the theory that it was related to electricity cannot be accepted, and even in that case, the expert explained that the suspect "could have turned off the power".

In addition to the electrical expert, a technical expert stated that the vehicle was technically sound, which includes the brakes.
The prosecutor also cited a third technical expert who also stated that the vehicle was technically sound.

According to the prosecutor, a witness who was at the scene at the time of the accident stated to the prosecution that the tram was approaching the intersection at high speed from a distance and that it was clear that such an outcome would occur.

- At this stage of the investigation, we have one suspect for whom we have sufficient evidence that he endangered traffic with his conscious behavior. He acted contrary to the BiH Road Traffic Safety Law. He failed to reduce speed when approaching the intersection, said the prosecutor.

The defense stated that it was a technical failure and that another such incident occurred on the same day in Ilidža with the same type of vehicle. The suspect's lawyer said it was a case of "stuck acceleration," which would mean a technical failure and that the driver could not brake.

The suspect explained that such things happen often at GRAS and that it is "well known to all GRAS drivers." He emphasized that "video surveillance will show" what happened.