Seven years after the death of six college students in a collision in Millas (Pyrénées-Orientales), the driver of the school car transporting them was sentenced on Friday, February 7 to an alore, with two years in prison under electronic bracelet.
Families hope that this is an epilogue and that Nadine Oliveira, who has always affirmed that the barriers of the level crossing where the accident occurred, will not go to cassation.
At the statement of his five-year prison sentence, two of which were close, the former driver, who had made the trip to the Aix-en-Provence Court of Appeal despite her health problems, kept his head down .
Condemnation in accordance with requisitions
This conviction, in accordance with requisitions, is accompanied by a cancellation of all its driving licenses, a prohibition to iron them for five years and finally a ban on carrying out any activity in the transport sector. She was also ordered to pay several hundred thousand euros to the victims for various prejudices, notably bodily, of imminent death or, for relatives, waiting and concern.
Before the statement of this decision, the president of the court Fabrice Naude had recalled that “In this case, six children have lost their lives” calling for all parties present to “Observe dignity and restraint when reading the decision whether it is deemed satisfactory or not”.
Several families had made the trip to the Bouches-du-Rhône, where this case was judged due to the inter-regional jurisdiction of the jurisdiction in collective accidents. The decision was also broadcast live at the Perpignan courthouse for the civil parties who wished.
Nadine Oliveira, 55, had appealed her sentence to five years in prison, one year firm at first instance in 2022. She has been supporting the barriers of the Millas level passage since the start of the investigation were lifted when ‘She signed up with her bus, violently struck by a TER this December 14, 2017, killing six children and injuring 17 other college students, including eight seriously.
But motorists opposite, on the other side of the passage, had explained that he saw the bus “Put the barrier, as we open a door”. Likewise one of the college students seated everything at the front of the bus described that the vehicle had “Tapped the barriers”.
No apologies
This passenger, Alicia, who was 13 years old at the time of the events, lost a leg in the drama. At the two trials, she testified with great calm and clarity in outfits that voluntarily revealing the prosthesis she now has in place of the right leg.
This second trial, which was held in October, was again strongly disturbed by the fragility of the accused, which had made a discomfort, a “Broken heart syndrome” According to his lawyers, as during the first trial. His absence from the 3rd day of hearing had angered most of the victims.
At the beginning of the appeal trial, her inflexible attitude on her version of the facts and her refusal or inability to express an apology for the accident that she is accused of having provoked, had already caused a certain annoyance among the 120 civil parties Like Enzo, who had launched: “She destroyed lives, (…) excuses, it would be so much better”.
(tagstotranslate) Road safety