Negligent homicide?

Flixbus crash: Investigation into the driver of the accident

(Bild: APA/dpa/Jan Woitas)

Following the serious bus accident on the Autobahn 9 near Leipzig, the public prosecutor's office is investigating the bus driver. The 62-year-old is accused of negligent homicide and negligent bodily injury, a spokesperson for the authorities said on Thursday.

The double-decker Flixbus was traveling with 52 passengers and two drivers on board on Wednesday morning when it left the road, ran over the grass verge and tipped onto its side. The bus company had previously said that 55 people were on the bus. The police reported four deaths, six serious injuries and 29 people with minor injuries. No details were given on Thursday about the state of health of the injured. The identity of the fatalities also remains unclear.

Passenger: Bus drivers were arguing with each other
The cause of the accident is not yet known. A passenger told the "Leipziger Volkszeitung" newspaper that the journey was bumpy throughout. At one point, the driver even missed the route and had to brake abruptly. He then argued with his driver colleague.

The bus involved in the accident at the scene of the accident on the A9 near Schkeuditz in Saxony(Bild: APA/dpa/Jan Woitas)

"Suddenly we were thrown back and forth, then my eyes went black," recalls the mother, who was traveling with her three children. When she regained consciousness, the bus was already lying on its side. The little ones were hanging upside down in the seat belts, the woman described.

Witnesses are being questioned
As part of the investigation, witnesses are now being questioned and an accident analysis report commissioned, according to the spokesperson for the public prosecutor's office. The first results are not expected for several weeks. The spokesman for the public prosecutor's office was unable to say whether the driver had already been questioned. The police did not give any details about the man's state of health.