Tension Erupts After Court Hearing in Fatal Kindergarten Truck Accident Case

Tension flared following a court hearing concerning a fatal accident where a water truck rolled downhill and struck a child outside Ahmet Erdoğan Kindergarten in Bahçelievler Mahallesi, Işık Yönder Caddesi, on December 1 last year. The truck driver, Ömer Sarkın, had parked the vehicle on a slope while delivering water to the school. The truck then moved, hitting Sarp Eymen Darıcı, his mother, and another person, as well as two parked cars.

Sarp Eymen Darıcı, one of three injured, was taken to Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University Hospital but could not be saved. Driver Ömer Sarkın was arrested on December 2, while the company owner, İsmail K., was initially released. A lawsuit was filed against both Sarkın and the company owner at the Zonguldak 2nd High Criminal Court.

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I started my shift at 09:00 in the morning. I think the slip was due to problems with the vehicle. I took all necessary precautions. The school gate was opened by me, and also by the school administration. I had never seen the gate locked before. I don't know what conscious negligence is, but I understood it as my lawyer explained. I don't think this accident was conscious negligence; I believe I took all the precautions I could. I request my release.

The appeals court overturned the initial ruling, stating Sarkın's sentence was too high and İsmail K.'s was too low. Sarkın had been sentenced to 7 years and 9 months and 10 days for "causing death and injury to multiple people through conscious negligence." İsmail K. received an administrative fine of 60,500 lira.

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The incident was an accident. We do not believe we committed any crime. I request my acquittal.

During the retrial, Sarkın claimed he was not guilty, suggesting the accident might have been due to vehicle issues and that he took all necessary precautions. He stated he did not understand "conscious negligence" but believed he acted responsibly. İsmail K. reiterated that the incident was an accident and requested acquittal.

However, İlker Darıcı, the victim's father, displayed a framed photo of his 4.5-year-old son. He criticized the defendants for focusing on minimizing their sentences rather than acknowledging the loss. Darıcı described Sarkın as an unqualified driver and İsmail K. as someone who hired unqualified individuals. "There is no decision that can bring my child back," he stated, "but a just decision must be made to show that our children's lives are not this worthless. I lost my son; may other parents not lose theirs."

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My son was 4.5 years old. The two defendants who ended his life in this world are here now. The only thought of the defendants is to try to minimize the sentences they will receive. No one is thinking about my son. He is a driver without professional qualifications. The other is someone who appears to be a respectable businessman but hires people without professional qualifications. He sent all of them to courses, more than five passed, the defendant did not. He continued to employ him. I laid my child to rest with my own hands. There is no decision that can bring my child back. However, a just decision must be made to show that the lives of our children are not this worthless. I lost my son; may other mothers and fathers not lose theirs.