[gatagato]

(Reuters) - Eighteen people were killed and 25 injured when a truck ploughed into a bus in a Moscow suburb on Saturday, according to the Russian emergency ministry.

An eyewitness video of the crash, broadcast on state television, showed the green and white passenger bus's windows shattering as it split in half, forcing other vehicles on the road to swerve wildly out of its way.

Death rates from Russian road accidents are higher than in most Western countries, and lawmakers are moving to toughen drunk-driving penalties.

The country has gained fame for its erratic drivers, with footage of cars overtaking on blind corners, rear-ending each other and careening off the road amassing millions of views on YouTube.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/...96C07D20130713
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-n...-after-2050915

Turned out that the driver, an Armenian citizen, was involved six times in traffic violations during the last year.

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Some pics

[Megamel29]

I can't tell what caused the accident. The driver had 6 violations and was still allowed to drive? I just got turned down for a job for having two speeding tickets in the last three years. What are the rules for this company?

[gatagato]

Originally Posted by Megamel29 ↗

I can't tell what caused the accident. The driver had 6 violations and was still allowed to drive? I just got turned down for a job for having two speeding tickets in the last three years. What are the rules for this company?

According to witnesses, the truck was speeding in the opposite lane, right before the crash. It seems that truck drivers are used to do that when they have to turn to the left at the crossing (many fences have been demolished in that spot for the same reason), but in this case the truck was definitely out of control: either some mechanical failure or some stroke, otherwise it was 100% truck driver's fault.
It could have ended up even worse, as there were 41 passengers on the bus

[Megamel29]

Jeez. He was playing with a lot of lives.

[Faline]

Lot of major accidents lately

[kellyhound]

Turned out that the driver, an Armenian citizen, was involved six times in traffic violations during the last year.

so he wasn't amongst the dead ? should throw his ass in jail as some never learn. in my eyes he's just a (mass) murderer

[gatagato]

Originally Posted by kellyhound ↗

so he wasn't amongst the dead ? should throw his ass in jail as some never learn. in my eyes he's just a (mass) murderer

He was brought out of an artificial coma (in which he was placed for a day after the crash and is being interrogated by investigators at the hospital): he's been placed under arrest for 48 hours, investigators will now request for the man to be placed in detention ahead of trial, and opened a criminal probe against him under an article of causing multiple death through violating traffic rules, which carries a maximum of seven years in prison (so it's no surprise that 25,000 people loose their lives in traffic accidents every year, in Russia).
And not only he had been fined for traffic offences six times over the last year, he had only an Armenian licence and no valid Russian permit, so he couldn't drive at all, in Russia.

http://www.skynews.com.au/world/article.aspx?id=887935
http://www.rappler.com/world/33728-t...d-moscow-crash

[Darkest Angel]

Such a waste. And to not even be a legal driver!!

[ices]

That truck was filled with gravel/hardcore so you have the speed, mass and angle of it going into a flimsy bus.

The people didnt stand much of a chance really.