The Jerusalem Traffic Court on Monday morning 6 Adar I extended the remand of the Egged 402 line bus driver who appears responsible for the fatal accident on Highway 1, the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv Highway. Six people were killed in the accident, that left over 20 others injured, some seriously.
The court ordered the driver, Chaim Biton, held over until Wednesday, 8 Adar I at 12:00. This will permit investigators to continue probing the fatal accident without fear Biton will try to compromise their investigation in any way. Biton faces charges of causing the deaths of the victims by negligence.
According to police investigators, Biton was involved in a similar accident on the same highway in 2013, but that time he was driving a 402 bus from Bnei Brak to the capital when he hit a truck near Shoresh Interchange. He was then banned from driving inter-city routes by Egged and ironically, he was informed a few short weeks ago that he may resume driving inter-city lines such as the 402.
Some passengers who frequent the 402 line told the media following the accident that this driver is known to be irresponsible and many simple are fearful when he is at the wheel, maintaining “he is an accident waiting to happen”. One woman told Kikar Shabbos News that she commented to the driver about his dangerous driving habits in the past but he just scoffed at her and continued. She is quoted adding “As soon as I heard there was an accident on the 402 I thought of him”.
Some passengers have even come forward and reported that even when he was driving an internal city line they feared to board his bus for he simply was wild and they did not trust him.
Egged spokesman Ron Ratner responds. “Unfortunately I am prohibited from responding on the fatal accident since there is an ongoing police investigation and I cannot do anything that might compromise this. If upon conclusion of the investigation the driver is indicted, I can and will comment”.
Photo: The driver in court on Monday morning.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem / Photo: Media Resource Group)
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3 Responses
I hope his driver’s license is evoked permanently!
if he killed because of peshia he is liable for death by a goel hadam, he should sit in jail the rest of his life.
Poor man… having to live with the thought that he caused the death of 6 people, & ruined the lives of many others isn’t pleasant, putting it mildly…
if he was really a bad driver as some claim, he will certainly be punished
i pity his wife & kids