Driver in bus crash that killed 13 was under influence

Besides a brake failure, one major cause of the bus crash that killed 13 people in Ungheni district in August might be the fact that the driver had been drinking some time prior to the accident, a forensic test has shown. The test showed that alcohol content in the driver’s blood was 0.59‰, a level that experts say impairs concentration and is on the brink of the level that affects peripheral vision, which is critical on sinuous roads like the one on which the accident occurred. In addition to the faulty braking system which was earlier reported as a likely cause of the accident, a technical examination of the vehicle revealed that the bus' steering was also malfunctioning. The examination in particular showed that the rear brakes and the front left one were not working properly, and the front right brake was outright defective. The hand brake was covered with a thick layer of oil, the pawl was covered in mud and the brake shoe cable was missing, which indicates that the hand brake had not been functional for a long time. The bus itself was too old to be allowed to carry passengers, the Prosecutor General's Office suggested. It announced in a press release that criminal charges have been brought against the administrator, the senior mechanic and the doctor of the local bus line Feodora Srl, who face up to 3 years in prison. Thirteen people, including two children, were killed in the bus accident that happened on August 9 near Moreni village, Ungheni, after the vehicle with 49 passengers on board fell into a ravine on a dangerous curve.